Nikola Jokic has been named the NBA's Most Valuable Player, Victor Wembanyama was named the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year, and the rest of this season's awards have been handed out with the NBA Playoffs heading into the Western and Eastern Conference Finals. Finally, the NBA announced Wednesday the 15 players named to the All-NBA list this season, highlighted by Jalen Brunson and Anthony Edwards receiving these honors for the first time in their respective careers.
Brunson and Edwards, two first-time All-NBA selections, were joined by many of the league's biggest stars, including all of those who received consideration for the league's MVP award this season. It should come as a surprise to nobody to see LeBron James also make the list once again for the 20th time in his illustrious career.
While many of the league's best ended up receiving All-NBA honors this season, there are quite a few notable names who were ineligible to receive such recognition this season due to the 65-game minimum rule that was put into effect. As a result, the following players were not eligible to receive All-NBA honors:
Joel Embiid (PHI), Jimmy Butler (MIA), Kyrie Irving (DAL), Donovan Mitchell (CLE), Lauri Markkanen (UTA), Kristaps Porzingis (BOS), Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN), Jamal Murray (DEN), Trae Young (ATL), Desmond Bane (MEM), Scottie Barnes (TOR)
This season, the All-NBA Teams were determined by positionless voting, compared to previous years, when each team had two guards, two forwards, and one center. Here are the complete voting results of the 15 players voted to the All-NBA First, Second, and Third Teams this season.
2023-24 All-NBA First Team
- (C) Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets [6th All-NBA selection]
- (G) Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder [2nd All-NBA selection]
- (G) Luka Doncic – Dallas Mavericks [5th All-NBA selection]
- (F) Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee Bucks [8th All-NBA selection]
- (F) Jayson Tatum – Boston Celtics [4th All-NBA selection]
There are really no arguments that can be made for the five players selected to the All-NBA First Team this season, as these are the five players who finished inside the top five of the MVP voting.
Nikola Jokic
Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic has won the league's MVP award in three of the last four seasons, and this marks his sixth time being an All-NBA selection and fourth on the All-NBA First Team. Jokic averaged 26.4 points, 12.4 rebounds, and 9.0 assists per game while shooting 58.3 percent from the floor during the regular season. The MVP ranked first in win shares, player efficiency rating, and box plus/minus, while ranking inside the top 10 in points, rebounds, and assists. He was a unanimous selection for the All-NBA First Team.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
What a year this was for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The 25-year-old guard led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 57-25 record and the 1-seed in the Western Conference. As a result, he finished second in the MVP voting behind Jokic. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.5 rebounds per game during the regular season, becoming the first player in Thunder history to average at least 30 points per game in back-to-back seasons. The Oklahoma City guard registered 51 games with at least 30 points this season, the most in the NBA. This is the second straight year in which Gilgeous-Alexander has been named to the All-NBA First Team.
Luka Doncic
Luka Doncic led all players in scoring for the first time in his career, averaging 33.9 points per game during the regular season. Like Jokic, Doncic also nearly averaged a triple-double, adding 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds per game to his name. Perhaps Doncic's greatest accomplishment this season is the fact that he shot a career-best 38.2 percent from three-point range after attempting a career-high 23.6 shots per game. When it comes to all-around contributions on offense, there is no player in the league better than Doncic right now. Doncic has now made the All-NBA First Team for the fifth straight season.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Another first-round exit from the playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks has overshadowed what a great season this was for Giannis Antetokounmpo. The two-time MVP is on the All-NBA list for the eighth time in his 11-year playing career, and Giannis became the first player in league history to average at least 30 points per game while shooting 60 percent from the floor. In 73 games, Antetokounmpo averaged 30.4 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game while shooting 61.1 percent from the field. As long as he stays healthy, it is a given that Giannis will be on the All-NBA First Team each and every season.
Jayson Tatum
The Boston Celtics finished with the best record in the NBA this season at 64-18. Jayson Tatum was once again their best player, averaging 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 47.1 percent from the floor and 37.6 percent from three-point range. His overall production declined this season as a result of Derrick White's increased role and the additions of both Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. Tatum is still one of the league's best offensive threats, but the advancements he has made in his game defensively have been truly impressive. This is the fourth time in Tatum's career that he finds himself on this illustrious list.
2023-24 All-NBA Second Team
- (G) Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks [1st All-NBA selection]
- (G) Anthony Edwards – Minnesota Timberwolves [1st All-NBA selection]
- (F) Kawhi Leonard – Los Angeles Clippers [6th All-NBA selection]
- (F) Kevin Durant – Phoenix Suns [11th All-NBA selection]
- (C) Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers [5th All-NBA selection]
Jalen Brunson
Although he finished top five in the MVP voting, Jalen Brunson was not voted to the All-NBA First Team for some reason. Brunon, who had an MVP-like season for the New York Knicks, averaged a career-high 28.7 points per game this season while shooting 47.9 percent from the floor and 40.1 percent from three-point range. He solidified himself as the face of the New York Knicks and had them within a game of reaching their first Eastern Conference Finals since 2000. Watching the Knicks is once again considered the cool thing to do in New York City, and that is largely Brunson's doing. This is the first time in his career that he has earned All-NBA honors.
Anthony Edwards
Anthony Edwards has gone from the first overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft to becoming one of the faces of the NBA in a matter of four years. This was Edwards' best season with the Minnesota Timberwolves, not only from a statistical perspective but from a maturity level as well. At 22 years old, Edwards has fully embraced being “The Guy” for the Timberwolves, and the confidence he plays with has helped set the foundation for a very strong culture in Minnesota. Currently, Edwards has his team four games away from reaching the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. This is a well-earned honor for Edwards at the very start of his journey to superstardom.
Kawhi Leonard
Once again, Kawhi Leonard was unable to finish the season due to injury. However, there is still no denying that he was one of the best players in the league when he was healthy. The 68 games Kawhi played were his most since the 2016-17 season, and the Los Angeles Clippers star was the main reason for the team's turnaround in the middle of the year. There was one point where the Clippers were in contention for one of the top spots in the West due to Leonard averaging 23.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game while shooting 52.5 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from three-point range.
Kevin Durant
Like LeBron, Kevin Durant continues to play at a high level despite his older age and everything he has been through. It is not hard to say that Durant is better now than he was before he tore his Achilles in 2019, especially after averaging 27.1 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while shooting 52.3 percent from the floor and 41.3 percent from three-point range with the Phoenix Suns this year. Now 35 years old and turning 36 in September, Durant is still arguably the deadliest mid-range jump shooter in the league. As good as he has been on offense, Durant also made his presence felt defensively in Phoenix. This is the 11th time in his career that Durant has earned All-NBA honors.
Anthony Davis
The 2023-24 season may just be the best of Anthony Davis' career. For the first time in a long time, Davis eclipsed the 70 games played mark, averaging 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks in 76 total games this season. It is not hard to call Davis the most versatile defender at the center position in the NBA. That is why he also earned All-Defensive honors for the fifth time in his career. The Lakers big man ranked fourth in defensive win shares and 13th in defensive rating. His 178 total blocks trailed only Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, and Brook Lopez. When he is healthy, Davis may just be the best two-way big man in the league.
2023-24 All-NBA Third Team
- (G) Stephen Curry – Golden State Warriors [10th All-NBA selection]
- (G) Devin Booker – Phoenix Suns [2nd All-NBA selection]
- (F) LeBron James – Los Angeles Lakers [20th All-NBA selection]
- (G) Tyrese Haliburton – Indiana Pacers [1st All-NBA selection]
- (C) Domantas Sabonis – Sacramento Kings [2nd All-NBA selection]
Stephen Curry
Another year has gone by, and Stephen Curry shockingly led the entire league in made threes. Steph hit 357 triples this season, the third-most all-time, trailing only James Harden's 378 made triples (2018-19) and himself when Curry made a NBA record 402 threes during the 2015-16 season. Curry was named the 2023-24 NBA Clutch Player of the Year, and he was the sole reason why the Golden State Warriors even had a chance to compete for a playoff spot via the play-in tournament. Like LeBron and KD, Curry continues to age like fine wine, as the greatest shooter in NBA history is still playing at an elite level at 36 years old. You can't have a list of the 15 best players without Curry on it.
Devin Booker
Although it is a Third-Team nod, it is hard to come up with an argument against Devin Booker being on this list. The Suns won a total of 49 games this season, and Booker had his fingerprints all over their season. Booker missed 14 games, but he averaged just about 36 minutes and 27.1 points per game. As good of a scorer as he continues to be, Booker really made advancements in his game as a facilitator and primary ball handler, averaging a career-best 6.9 assists per game. For not being a point guard, his 2.65 assist-to-turnover ratio is very respectable. Booker joined Giannis, Brunson, Luka, and Joel Embiid as the only players with an assist rate exceeding 30 percent while averaging at least 27 points per game, according to StatHead.
LeBron James
What else can we say about LeBron James at this point in his career? Making the All-NBA list for the 20th time in his 21 seasons is simply remarkable. At 39 years old, James averaged 25.7 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 54.0 percent from the floor and a career-best 41.0 percent from three-point range. The most impressive aspect of this season for LeBron is that he played in 71 games, the most he has participated in since he played in all 82 games during the 2017-18 season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. James continues to redefine age in all of professional sports, and it doesn't appear as if he is done just yet.
Tyrese Haliburton
One of the final spots on the All-NBA list this season was awarded to Indiana Pacers All-Star Tyrese Haliburton. The 2023-24 campaign was a breakout year for Haliburton, as he put himself in the same spotlight as Gilgeous-Alexander and Edwards in terms of being one of the next faces of the league. Haliburton led the Pacers to the first-ever NBA In-Season Tournament championship game, and if it weren't for a hamstring injury halfway through the year, the 24-year-old's numbers would look a lot better. Still, he finished the season averaging 20.1 points and a league-leading 10.9 assists per game. Indiana owned one of the league's best offenses, and they are currently in the Eastern Conference Finals because of Haliburton's heroics.
Domantas Sabonis
It is hard to ignore the fact that Domantas Sabonis recorded 77 double-doubles in 82 games this season. In fact, Sabonis rallied off 61 straight double-doubles at one point this season, surpassing Jerry Lucas to become the Sacramento Kings' all-time leader in consecutive double-doubles. He also passed Kevin Love for the longest consecutive double-double streak since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. If it means anything, Sabonis also led the league with 26 triple-doubles this season. A Swiss Army Knife at the center position for the Kings, Sabonis achieved greatness on the offensive end of the floor by averaging 19.4 points, a league-high 13.7 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game.
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