Tag: All-NBA Defensive Team

LeBron James congratulates Ben Simmons, Draymond Green on making All-NBA Defensive First Team

LeBron James showed support to Ben Simmons and Draymond Green for getting selected to the All-NBA Defensive First Team.

Making the All-NBA Defensive Team is a phenomenal accomplishment for the league’s best defenders.

With only ten spots available across the All-NBA Defensive First and Second teams, getting a nod is incredibly difficult.

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has his fair share of All-NBA Defensive Team selections. He has five first-team selections and one second-team selection to his name, though his last time making a team came in 2014.

This year, the NBA chose Jrue Holiday and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks, Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons, Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert and Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green for the All-NBA Defensive First Team.

James took to his Instagram story to congratulate Simmons and Green for their accomplishment:

It’s important to note that James, Simmons and Green are all under Klutch Sports Group, which also posted the photos of Simmons and Green that James shared on his story.

This is Simmon’s second time making the first team, as he made it in 2020. Green has four first-team selections under his belt, including this year’s, and two second-team selections.

The Lakers didn’t have any selections on either team this season despite finishing the campaign with the No. 1 ranked defense. However, Anthony Davis, Alex Caruso, Dennis Schroder and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope all received votes for both teams.

Caldwell-Pope also received one vote for Defensive Player of the Year, which Gobert took home for the third time in his career.

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Thunder players Chris Paul, Steven Adams earned All-Defensive votes

Two Oklahoma City Thunder players received votes for the 2019-20 NBA All-Defensive Team.

While no Oklahoma City Thunder players were selected for either of the NBA All-Defensive Teams, two received at least one vote.

Point guard Chris Paul and center Steven Adams garnered recognition at their respective positions.

Paul had four First Team votes and five Second Team votes. Of the guards who did not make a team, he had the fourth-most voting points.

Adams had one vote for the Second Team. He was one of seven centers to earn at least one vote, including the two who made a team.

Here is the breakdown of players who received votes but did not make a team. Graphics come from NBA.com.

Had Paul been selected, it would have been his 10th All-Defensive selection in his career. From 2008-2017, the only year he did not get selected was 2010, when he was injured for half the season.

As it stands, Paul is tied for the seventh-most selections of all-time. No point guard has more selections than he does.

Adams has not made an All-Defensive team in his career.

The All-Defensive First Team was made up of Ben Simmons and Marcus Smart at guard, Giannis Antetokounmpo and Anthony Davis at forward, and Rudy Gobert at center.

The Second Team was made up of Patrick Beverly and Eric Bledsoe at guard, Kawhi Leonard and Bam Adebayo at forward, and Brook Lopez at center.

Noteworthy is that three Milwaukee Bucks players made a team, as did two Los Angeles Clippers.

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