Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, the NBA's MVP, and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, the league's scoring leader, highlighted Tuesday night's announcement of the 2020-21 All-NBA teams.
Jokic and Curry were two of five players named to the first team, where they were joined by Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and LA Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard. All three teams were unveiled on TNT's "Inside the NBA" ahead of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Brooklyn Nets and Bucks in New York.
The second team has Portland's Damien Lillard and Phoenix's Chris Paul on guard spot, New York's Julius Randall and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as forwards and Philadelphia's Joel Embiid on center. The third team includes Brooklyn's Kyrie Irving and Washington's Bradley Beale Gard, Miami's Jimmy Butler and Clippers Paul George forward and Utah's Rudy Gobert at center.
This was his third straight All-NBA selection for Jokic, including a second straight first-team clearance, while Curry made his fourth first-team selection and seventh overall, almost last season with a broken bone in his arm. Earned after remembering all.
For both Antetokounmpo and Leonard, Tuesday's selection was their third first-team honor and fifth overall, while Doncic has now been named to the first team in each of the past two seasons.
Meanwhile, James raised his record for total All-NBA selections to 17, while making the third second-team selection of his career (he was named to the third-team in 2019, his first season with the Lakers, a Years that also saw him miss important time due to injury). Randall earned his first All-NBA honors after a stellar season with the Knicks. New York made it to the playoffs for the first time in eight years, while Randall was named an All-Star for the first time and, last month, was honored as the NBA's best player of the season.
Paul became one of 26 players to be named to the All-NBA team 10 times in his career, the latest honor for him in an impressive first season in Phoenix. The Suns reached the Western Conference Finals for the first time in the playoffs in more than a decade. Embiid picked up his third All-NBA selection – an All Second Team – while Butler earned his fourth selection, but above the third team for the first time.
Beale made the third team for his first All-NBA selection, while Irving made his third selection. Gobert, who won his third Defensive Player of the Year award last week, earned his fourth All-NBA selection like Butler, while George has now been selected to six All-NBA teams in his career.
Tuesday's announcement also had implications from a financial standpoint for many players.
For Embiid and Doncic, making this year's All-NBA team means both will be eligible to sign Supermax contract extensions with their respective teams this season. For Embiid, that would mean signing a four-year extension worth $190.6 million, which will start with the 2023-24 season, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks. Meanwhile, Doncic will be eligible to sign a five-year extension worth $201.5 million per issue.
Jokic became eligible to sign a Supermax extension after the 2021–22 season, when he was named MVP last week.
Several other players missed out on the hike due to lack of names in the teams. For both Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, the missing means a five-year extension they signed before last season would have cost him $163 million, as opposed to the $195.6 million that made him one of them. Would all NBA teams.
Tatum actually had more points for the All-NBA spot than Irving (69 to 61). But since voting is done by positions (two guard spots, two forward spots and one center spot on each team), Tatum finished 20 points behind George for the sixth and final forward spot in the poll.
Sacramento Kings guard D'Aaron Fox and Heat center Bam Adebayo both also missed potential pay increases.
Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine, meanwhile, would be eligible to sign a Supermax expansion this off-season had he made the All-NBA. With one year remaining on his contract, he will be eligible to do so again the following season when he becomes an unrestricted free agent if he makes an All-NBA team the following season.