Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum headline All-NBA first team
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It was the seventh All-NBA team selection for Giannis Antetokounmpo (right), and the fifth for Jayson Tatum.
PHOTO: AFP
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LOS ANGELES – The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics were among those selected to the 2022-23 All-NBA (National Basketball Association) First Team on Wednesday night.
The duo led the voting, with Antetokounmpo receiving 100 first-team votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. Tatum trailed close behind with 92 first-team votes while also receiving eight for the second team.
It was the seventh All-NBA team selection for Antetokounmpo, and the third for Tatum.
In 63 games this season, the Greek averaged a career-high 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists. But it was a sour end to the campaign for him as he saw his top-seeded Bucks ousted by the eighth-seeded Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference play-offs.
Tatum posted averages of 30.1 points, 8.8 points and 4.6 assists per game during the regular season, all of which were career highs. Boston are on the brink of elimination, as they trail 3-2 in their semi-final series against the Philadelphia 76ers.
Joining Antetokounmpo and Tatum on the first team are Sixers centre and league Most Valuable Player (MVP) Joel Embiid (fifth All-NBA team selection, 87 first-place votes), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (first, 63) and Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (fourth, 60).
Embiid and Doncic posted the highest scoring averages in the NBA during the regular season, averaging 33.1 and 32.4 points per game, respectively.
Gilgeous-Alexander averaged the fourth most (31.4) while leading the Thunder to an appearance in the play-in tournament, where they eventually lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In his first season with his new team, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell received 45 first-team votes. But he ended up in the second team, along with Denver Nuggets centre and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry, Heat forward Jimmy Butler and Celtics forward Jaylen Brown.
After a surprising season in which they broke the longest play-off drought in North American professional sports, the Sacramento Kings had two players selected to the All-NBA third team in guard De’Aaron Fox and centre Domantas Sabonis. Both Fox and Sabonis celebrated their first selection to an All-NBA team.
Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, New York Knicks forward Julius Randle and Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James also made the third team. James has the most All-NBA selections with 19.
Notable players to receive votes but not named to an All-NBA team included Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant, Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen, forward Kevin Durant and guard Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns and Lakers centre Anthony Davis. REUTERS
