Durant Unanimous All-NBA First Team
By Randy Renner
Thunder forward Kevin Durant has again been named to the All-NBA First Team. It’s his fifth consecutive selection to the elite squad.
Durant is the only player who was named first team on all 125 ballots by sports writers and broadcasters who cover the NBA.
Oklahoma City Thunder Superstar Kevin Durant warms up before a recent game at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Photo by Torrey Purvey for InsideThunder.com
Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook received votes and so did Thunder forward Serge Ibaka but not enough to get on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd All-NBA teams.
During this past season, Durant averaged an NBA-best 32.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.27 steals and 38.5 minutes in 81 games (all starts). In the process he joined Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Elgin Baylor as the only players in NBA history to average at least 32 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Other members of the All-NBA 1st Team are LeBron James, Joakim Noah, Chris Paul and former Thunder sixth man James Harden.
The All-NBA 2nd Team is Blake Griffin, Kevin Love, Dwight Howard, Steph Curry and Tony Parker.
The All-NBA 3rd Team is Paul George, LaMarcus Aldridge, Al Jefferson, Goran Dragic and Damian Lillard.
Dragic and Lillard each picked up 115 points, Westbrook managed to garner just 32, presumably because he missed a good chunk of the season.
Moments after the NBA voting had been announced Westbrook tweeted, "LOL!" There was no reference to the All-NBA teams in his tweet but a lot of Thunder fans and probably members of the organization would have reacted that way to news that Westbrook, generally now regarded as one of the 10 best players in the world and regarded by many as one of the five best, would have been left off all three teams.
Ibaka got just four points. Serge was named earlier in the week though to the NBA's All-Defensive 1st Team.
Thunder General Manager Sam Presti will meet with reporters Thursday just before noon. We'll have complete coverage right here on InsideThunder.com