All-NBA honors pay off for Lillard, Walker
NEW YORK — Giannis Antetokounmpo and James Harden received the most votes, but contract incentives also made Damian Lillard and Kemba Walker big winners when the All-NBA teams were announced Thursday.
Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks) and Harden (Houston Rockets) were unanimous selections, receiving all 100 votes from a panel of sports writers and broadcasters who had to choose two guards, two forwards each for the first, second and third teams for the All-NBA lineup for 2018-19. Joining them on the first team were Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Paul George (Oklahoma City Thunder) and Nikola Jokic (Denver Nuggets).
Lillard, a second-team selection, and Walker, a third-teamer who received the fewest votes of this year’s All-NBA picks, will benefit from a reward recently put in place by the league to encourage players to remain with their current teams: a supermax contract for All-NBA status. Walker is eligible for a five-year extension worth about $221 million if he stays with the Charlotte Hornets, and Lillard can get more than $190 million with a new deal with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Also on the second team were Kevin Durant (Golden State), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers), Kyrie Irving (Boston Celtics) and Kawhi Leonard (Toronto Raptors). Also on the third team were Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), Blake Griffin (Detroit Pistons), LeBron James (Los Angeles Clippers) and Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City).
James tied two records with his 15th All-NBA selection, but his streak of 11 consecutive years as a firstteam player, a record he shared with Hall of Famer Karl Malone, came to an end after an injury-shortened debut season with the Lakers. James joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan as the only players to make 15 All-NBA teams, and only Bryant and James did it in consecutive seasons.
Injury update
Durant won’t be ready to play in time for Game 1 of the NBA Finals on May 30, having yet to return to on-court work while recovering from a strained right calf, but DeMarcus Cousins might be healthy for Golden State’s series opener against either Milwaukee or Toronto.
“Potentially,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said Thursday, “but it’s up in the air.”
Team personnel re-evaluated both players Thursday, and they are expected to be ready at some point during Golden State’s fifth straight appearance in the NBA Finals. The Warriors have won three of the past four titles, with Durant named MVP of the championship series the past two years.
Cousins is working back from a torn left quadriceps muscle sustained in Game 2 of a first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers. He practiced Thursday for the first time since getting injured April 16 in just his second career playoff game. Durant is making progress in the training room and the weight room, Kerr said.