The NBA announced on Thursday that Kobe Bryant was selected to the All-NBA First Team for the fifth straight season and eighth time in his career, while teammate Pau Gasol was named to the Third Team.
Kobe finished fourth in the league in scoring (27.0 ppg), and averaged 5.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds in the regular season. He was selected as an All-Star starter for the 12th straight time, and led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 57-25 record. Tim Duncan is the only active player with more First Team selections (nine), while Shaquille O’Neal also has eight.
Gasol made the third team despite missing 17 games in the regular season due to hamstring strains on respective legs, averaging 18.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.74 blocks while making his second straight and third overall All-Star appearance. The Spaniard tied Carlos Boozer for fifth in the NBA on the glass, eighth in blocked shots and 12th in field goal percentage (53.6 percent).
LeBron James, Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and Dwyane Wade join Bryant on the First Team, while Steve Nash, Deron Williams, Amare Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Dirk Nowitzki made the Second Team. Gasol is flanked by Tim Duncan, Andrew Bogut, Joe Johnson and Brandon Roy.
Below is the NBA’s official release for the awards:
NEW YORK, May 6, 2010 – LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the 2009-10 Most Valuable Player, and Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic, the 2009-10 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, were unanimous selections to the 2009-10 All-NBA First Team, the NBA announced today. Joining James and Howard on the First Team are Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat.
James, who earns First Team honors for the third straight season and fourth time overall, was second in the NBA in scoring (29.7 ppg) and averaged 8.6 assists, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks, leading Cleveland to an NBA-best 61-21 regular season record. James’ 8.6 assists were the highest assists average by a forward in NBA history (Larry Bird, 7.6 apg, 1986-87). In his seventh season, James was named Eastern Conference Player of the Month four consecutive times (Nov.-Feb.), the second consecutive season he won the award on four occasions.
Howard, an All-NBA First Team selection for the third consecutive season, became the first player to lead the league in rebounding and blocks (1973-74 was the first season blocks were kept as an official statistic) in consecutive seasons, averaging 13.2 rebounds and 2.78 blocks. Howard also paced the league in field goal percentage (.612), becoming the first player to lead the NBA in all three of those categories since the NBA started keeping blocked shots. Howard recorded an NBA-high 64 double-doubles, including three 20-point/20-rebound efforts.
Bryant, an All-NBA First Team selection for the fifth straight season and eighth time in his career, finished fourth in the league in scoring (27.0 ppg), while averaging 5.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds. Bryant led the Lakers to a Western Conference-best 57-25 record. Among active players, only Tim Duncan (nine) has more First Team selections. Shaquille O’Neal also has eight.
Durant earns his first All-NBA First Team selection after becoming the youngest player (21 years and 197 days) to lead the league in scoring (30.1 ppg). His 756 free throws made was the sixth highest single-season total in NBA history and the highest since Michael Jordan made 833 in the 1986-87 season, while his .900 percentage from the line ranked sixth overall. Durant earned NBA Western Conference Player of the Month honors in April after scoring 30-plus points in seven consecutive games to close the regular season.
Earning his second straight First Team selection, Wade was the league’s fifth-leading scorer (26.5 ppg), while also averaging 6.5 assists, 4.8 rebounds and 1.8 steals. Wade joined James as the lone players to rank in the top 10 in points, assists and rebounds.
The All-NBA Second Team consists of Phoenix’s Steve Nash and Utah’s Deron Williams at guard, Denver’s Carmelo Anthony and Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki at forward, and Phoenix’s Amar’e Stoudemire at center.
The All-NBA Third Team includes Atlanta’s Joe Johnson and Portland’s Brandon Roy at guard, San Antonio’s Tim Duncan and the Los Angeles Lakers’ Paul Gasol at forward, and Milwaukee’s Andrew Bogut at center.
The All-NBA Teams were chosen by a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.
Below are the results of the voting for the 2009-10 All-NBA Teams, with First Team votes in parentheses:
Other players receiving votes, with point totals (first team votes in parentheses): Chris Bosh, Toronto, 80; Rajon Rondo, Boston, 47; David Lee, New York, 43; Carlos Boozer, Utah, 33; Chauncey Billups, Denver, 24; Zach Randolph, Memphis, 20; Al Horford, Atlanta, 19; Jason Kidd, Dallas, 18; Derrick Rose, Chicago, 15; Chris Paul, New Orleans, 14; Manu Ginobili, San Antonio, 13; Chris Kaman, LA Clippers, 9; Brook Lopez, New Jersey, 6; Josh Smith, Atlanta, 6; Paul Pierce, Boston, 6; Gerald Wallace, Charlotte, 5; Marcus Camby, Portland, 3; Andrew Bynum, LA Lakers, 2; Danny Granger, Indiana, 2; David West, New Orleans, 1; Kevin Garnett, Boston, 1; Mo Williams; Cleveland, 1; Tony Parker San Antonio, 1.