The NBA on Tuesday evening announced its selections for All-NBA Teams for the 2020-21 season.
And one year after making Second Team and receiving the distinction for the first time in his young career, Boston Celtics star wing Jayson Tatum was left out this year.
While not being included loses the 23-year-old the $32 million bump he’d get on his rookie extension, but it’s good news for the Celtics who will save some change against the salary cap — though not much.
Here are the 15 players who received All-NBA honors:
FIRST TEAM
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
SECOND TEAM
Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers
Julius Randle, New York Knicks
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
THIRD TEAM
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets
Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Rudy Gobert, Utah Jazz
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat
Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers
Many were mad online believing Tatum was snubbed. After a career year, there’s reasons for that argument, especially considering Tatum actually received more votes than Irving as a guard. However, since Tatum received the most votes as a forward, he was slotted in that position group.
Clearly, as the league trends more and more toward positionless basketball, All-NBA distinctions shouldn’t be determined by position.
