MVP Embiid leads All-NBA team; Jokic lands on 2nd team
Denver’s Nikola Jokic now knows how Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid felt during two previous NBA award seasons.
Second in the MVP race — but only second-team All-NBA.
Embiid — the newly crowned MVP — headlined the All-NBA team unveiled Wednesday night. He was the first-team center, while Jokic was the second-team pick at that position. It was a reversal of the results from 2021 and 2022, when Jokic was MVP over Embiid, who then had to settle for the second-team AllNBA center spot.
And this should be the final time such a quirk happens. Starting next year, the All-NBA team will no longer be broken down by position — meaning the presumed second-best player in the NBA one season, such as Embiid in 2021 and 2022 and Jokic now, will not have to be relegated to second-team anything.
Joining Embiid on the first team were Boston’s
Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo at forward, and Dallas’ Luka Doncic and Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at guard.
On the second team along with Jokic were Miami’s Jimmy Butler and Boston’s Jaylen Brown at forward, and Golden State’s Stephen
Curry and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell at guard.
The third-team center was Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis, with the Los Angeles Lakers’ LeBron James — now a 19-time selection, extending his record — and New York’s Julius Randle getting the forward spots and Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox and Portland’s Damian Lillard the guard selections.
James is a 13-time firstteam, three-time second-team and now three-time thirdteam pick. Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar were all 15-time selections, tied for the second-most in NBA history.
The picks were made by a panel of 100 reporters and broadcasters who cover the NBA.