Former Duke basketball star Jayson Tatum named to third straight All-NBA First Team

Tatum, in his seventh season with the Boston Celtics, averaged 26.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, and a career-high 4.9 assists in his award-worthy season.

Jayson Tatum, the former Duke basketball star who now plays for the Boston Celtics, made the 2023-24 Kia All-NBA First Team announced on Wednesday.

In his seventh professional season, Tatum averaged 26.9 points and 8.1 rebounds. He set a career-high with 4.9 assists, and the Celtics earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference after they won 64 games.

According to the voting results, Tatum earned 65 First Team votes on 99 ballots.

Tatum joined Denver’s Nikola Jokic, who won his third MVP this season, on the five-man squad. Dallas’s Luka Doncic, Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo also earned the designation.

This is Tatum’s fourth career All-NBA nomination and his third consecutive season as a First Team member. He also made the All-NBA Third Team back in 2020.

Only Antetokounmpo, Doncic, and Tatum made the First Team in each of the last three seasons. Tatum is the only former Duke player to make the First Team so far this decade.

Tatum made the selection look even better on Tuesday night after he helped win Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals with two clutch baskets in overtime