nba MVP Joel Embiid headlines the All-NBA First Team announced Monday.
The 76ers center includes Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, Thunder guard Shai Gilzeus-Alexander and Mavericks guard Luka Doncic.
Nuggets center and MVP runner-up Nikola Jokic is absent from the first team. All-NBA Teams are based on position; Only one center makes the first team cut, and that honor goes to Embiid. Jokic made the second team with Jaylen Brown, Jimmy Butler, Stephen Curry and Donovan Mitchell.
D'Oran Fox, Damian Willard, julius randle, LeBron James and Domantas Sabonis made the third team
The new collective bargaining agreement eliminated positions from All-NBA consideration, allowing voters to select their top 5 players for each team regardless of position. Jokic would almost certainly make the first team under these circumstances, but the CBA won't take effect until next season. The new CBA rules would also require players to play a minimum of 65 games to be eligible for any season-long honors.
Embiid earned first-team honors after averaging a league-high 33.1 points, along with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. He shot 54.8% from the field and 33% from 3-point range while leading Philadelphia to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The first team selection is his first after making the previous four All-NBA second teams. Like Jokic this year, Embiid would likely have made the previous first team under the new CBA.
Antetokounmpo is first-team All-NBA for the fifth time. He also made the second team twice. The Bucks forward averaged a career-high 33.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 0.8 blocks and 0.8 steals per game this season, while shooting 55.3% from the field. He led the Bucks to the NBA's best regular-season record before being upset in the first round of the playoffs. His 63-game season would make him ineligible for consideration under the new CBA.
Tatum earned his second straight first-team honors in 2020 after being selected to the third team. He averaged 30.1 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.6 assists this season, all career highs. He also averaged 1.1 steals and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.6% from the field and 35% from 3-point distance. His Celtics are 3-1 behind Embiid's 76ers in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Gilgeous-Alexander made his first All-NBA team of any kind after earning his first All-Star bid in his fifth NBA season. The versatile Thunder guard averaged a career-high 31.4 points, 5.5 assists and 4.8 rebounds while shooting 51% from the field and 34.5% from 3-point distance. He is also a defensive force, tallying 1.6 steals and 1 block per game, both career highs. A young Thunder team made a surprising run to the NBA Play-Ins.