The All-NBA First Team was announced and Nikola Jokic and Steph Curry are not in it. After piping Jokic to the MVP award, Joel Embiid won the All-NBA First Team battle too, sending the two-time MVP winner to the second team. 

Steph Curry and Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell also didn’t make the first-team cut with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from the Oklahoma City Thunder and Mavericks’ Luka Doncic getting the better of them.

All-NBA First Team

The All-NBA First Team includes:

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder – Guard (407 points)
  • Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks – Guard (403 points)
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks – Forward (500 points)
  • Jayson Taytum – Boston Celtics – Forward (484 points)
  • Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers – Center (474 points)

All-NBA Second Team

The players that didn’t make the starting five but were named in the All-NBA Second Team are:

  • Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors – Guard (188 points)
  • Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers – Guard (349 points)
  • Jayleen Brown – Boston Celtics – Forward (169 points)
  • Jimmy Butler – Miami Heat – Forward (182 points)
  • Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets – Center (384 points)

All-NBA Third Team

The players on the All-NBA Third Team are:

  • De’Aron Fox – Sacramento Kings – Guard (144 points)
  • Damian Lillard – Portland Trail Blazers – Guard (137 points)
  • LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers – Forward (81 points)
  • Julius Randle – New York Knicks – Forward (125 points)
  • Domantas Sabonis – Sacramento Kings – Center (147 points)

The Impact of All-NBA Selections on Finances and Players’ Futures

One team that kept a close eye on the All-NBA Team announcements was Boston. 

By being included in the All-NBA Team both Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown got much more expensive for the Celtics. 

Boston will have to pay more than $600 million to Brown and Tatum because of contractual obligations arising from their All-NBA selections.

Two players that could have featured in some of the three teams were Grizzlies’ Ja Morant and Suns’ Kevin Durant

Morant was a shoo-in for an All-NBA selection, but his eight-game suspension for brandishing a gun in a nightclubbasically ruled him out.

Similarly, Kevin Durant would have likely made the teams if he played a full season. 

Unfortunately, the 13-time All-Star made only 47 appearances for the Suns and Nets and didn’t make the cut for the third time in four seasons.