All NBA Teams | A first for Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker

Continuation and end of the announcements of the individual awards for the regular season, since the NBA unveiled the composition of the best five for the 2021/22 financial year overnight.

Not surprisingly, the “All-NBA First Team” includes reigning two-time MVP, Nikola Jokic (Nuggets), as well as Giannis Antetokounmpo (bucks) and Luka Doncic (Mavericks). All three European players were already featured in last season’s best five. This time, they are supported by two « novices » in the field: Jayson Tatum (Celtics) and Devin Booker (Suns), who therefore won this honor for the very first time.

In the « All-NBA Second Team », we find Joel Embiid (Sixers), “ejected” from the best five of the season by Nikola Jokic, despite his runner-up status in the MVP race. The Cameroonian is logically accompanied by Kevin Durant (Net), Stephen Curry (Warriors) and the « revenant » DeMar DeRozan (Bulls), while the new phenomenon of the league, Ja Morant (Grizzlies), is decorated for the first time.

Finally, the « All-NBA Third Team » consists of the inevitable LeBron James (Lakers), who improves his own record of appearances (18) in one of these three best five, from Chris Paul (Suns), Trae Young (hawks), Pascal Siakam (Raptors) and Karl Anthony Towns (Wolves). No Rudy Gobert, therefore, preceded by “KAT”.

Giannis Antetokounmpo unanimously, several financial bonuses unlocked

In the anecdotes department, we see that Giannis Antetokounmpo is the only player to have been unanimously selected in the “All-NBA First Team”. Indeed, MVP Nikola Jokic had to share the votes with Joel Embiid, for the place of pivot of the best five. However, they were both eligible in the « forward » category this year, but the voters opted for a classic configuration.

Best team in the league in the regular season, the Suns are the only ones to place several of their representatives in one of these “All-NBA Teams”. Best team in the Eastern Conference, the Heat does not place any on its side.

With their selection, Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns are now eligible, as of this summer, for a contract extension at the « supermax », with Phoenix and Minnesota: 211 million dollars over four years! For Trae Young, who re-signed with Atlanta last year, his contract jumps from $177 million over five years to $212 million over five years, and it will start from the 2022/23 fiscal year.

Finally, Ja Morant will have to get an additional appearance in an « All-NBA Team » next season to sign a five-year, $ 223 million extension at the end of his rookie contract with the Grizzlies. For the time being, he can only claim « only » a salary of 186 million dollars over five years.