OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (right) and Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell were popular 2025 All-NBA First Team choices.
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Who should make the All-NBA teams for the 2024-25 season?
Steve Aschburner
It figures — now that I’ve surrendered to the “positionless” guideline for these teams (I held out last year), my First Team is no different than if I labored to find two guards, two forwards and one center. All I did was flop my Kia MVP ballot into these slots (from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as No. 1 to Donovan Mitchell as No. 5).
My rationale for favoring the OKC scorer over arguably the game’s best player was simple: 68 victories vs. 50. Too big a gap to ignore. For me, this was reminiscent of 2010-11, when LeBron James was the NBA’s top player but had his run of MVPs interrupted by the Bulls’ Derrick Rose, who had an electric season that boosted Chicago’s year-over-year record by 21 victories.
My Second and Third Teams, as always, were determined by that strange brew of individual performance, W-L impact, relative strength of supporting casts and other criteria that get used (or ignored) in choosing the 6th through 15th “best” players. Toughest omissions for me: Jaren Jackson Jr. and Tyrese Haliburton.
First Team picks:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
- Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Second Team picks:
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
Third Team picks:
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
- Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
- Domantas Sabonis, Sacramento Kings
Brian Martin
How much should team success be a factor when selecting All-NBA teams? That question helped shape my final pick for all three teams.
Donovan Mitchell rounded out my First Team by leading the top team in the East all season long, even sacrificing his stats in favor of team success. Evan Mobley may be the lowest-scoring player on my teams, but his impact defensively, coupled with a career year on offense, helped vault the Cavs this season.
I hit the history books before making the call for my final pick. OKC became the seventh team to win 68 games in a season. What did the first six all have in common? At least two players were named to the All-NBA teams, even when there were only two teams before 1988-89.
History repeats itself with Jalen Williams earning the final spot on my ballot.
First Team picks:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
- Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Second Team picks:
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
- Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
Third Team picks:
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
- Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies
- Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
- Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
Shaun Powell
This wasn’t that difficult a task, unlike previous seasons. The only real suspense on the first team is the fifth spot — four of them are locks. That last slot goes to a 40-year-old. LeBron James was solid for a team in transition, able to mesh with Anthony Davis and then, after the seismic mid-season trade, Luka Dončić. He’s the main reason the Lakers finished third in the West.
As for the rest, a pair of players overcame sluggish starts. Stephen Curry finished strong for a Warriors team that did the same, while Tyrese Haliburton was invisible until the holidays and then produced. If not for James, then Anthony Edwards or Cade Cunningham would’ve made the First Team.
These All-NBA selections are most remembered for three former Kia MVPs who keep delaying the effects of time: James, Curry and James Harden.
First Team picks:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Second Team picks:
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
Third Team picks:
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- James Harden, LA Clippers
- Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
- Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
- Jalen Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder
John Schuhmann
This process was easy for the first four names: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokić and Jayson Tatum. After that, there were several candidates for the fifth First Team selection and close to 20 for the 10 remaining spots.
Evan Mobley got the First Team nod on this ballot for his defense, versatility and efficiency … and because the best team in the East was at its best when he was on the floor. Once that choice was made, the Second Team selections were relatively easy. Karl-Anthony Towns might not be a Second Team selection on a ton of ballots, but he had a remarkable offensive season.
There were a lot of tough omissions, including Pascal Siakam, who might not get mentioned elsewhere. He deserves as much consideration as Tyrese Haliburton because he’s a big reason why the Pacers were one of the most improved defensive teams this season.
First Team picks:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City Thunder
- Nikola Jokić, Denver Nuggets
- Evan Mobley, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
Second Team picks:
- Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons
- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
- Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
- Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
- Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks
Third Team picks:
- Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
- James Harden, LA Clippers
- LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
- Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets
- Ivica Zubac, LA Clippers
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