Man, the NBA is in a weird, beautiful spot right now. We used to know exactly who the top guys were. You had Bron, Steph, KD, and maybe Kawhi if his knees were behaving. But the NBA All Team 2025 reveal basically just told us that the "old guard" era isn't dying—it's just being forced to share the couch.
Seeing the list this year was a trip.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is officially the guy. Not "one of" the guys. The guy. He snatched the MVP and led an All-NBA First Team that feels like a changing of the guard, even if some familiar faces are still hanging on for dear life. If you looked at the voting points, it wasn't even close for the top four. SGA, Nikola Jokic, Giannis, and Jayson Tatum were unanimous. 100 out of 100 first-place votes. Total dominance.
But then things got messy.
The Donovan Mitchell Jump and the 65-Game Reality
Nobody really saw Donovan Mitchell making the First Team at the start of the season. Honestly, most people had Luka or maybe Ant Edwards in that spot. But Cleveland winning 64 games changed the math. Mitchell was the engine behind a Cavs team that looked unstoppable for months, and because he actually stayed healthy, he jumped over guys who probably had better "per-minute" stats but spent too much time in street clothes.
That 65-game rule is a beast.
It’s the reason Luka Doncic and Kevin Durant are missing from these lists entirely. You can average 30 points in your sleep, but if you don't hit that magic 65 number, the NBA doesn't care. It feels harsh, especially for a guy like Luka who was carrying Dallas, but voters are sticking to the script. This year proved the rule has teeth. It's not just a suggestion anymore; it's a career-altering hurdle.
Breaking Down the 2025 All-NBA Selections
The Second Team is where the "nostalgia vs. reality" debate really lives. LeBron James is 40 and just made his 21st All-NBA team. That is actually insane. He’s been an All-NBA player for as long as some of the rookies have been alive. He’s sitting there on the Second Team alongside Steph Curry, who—despite the Warriors' ups and downs—still feels like the most dangerous person on a basketball court.
All-NBA First Team
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder) – The MVP. The rhythm. The mid-range god.
- Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) – Still the best passer in the world, center or not.
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (Bucks) – Death, taxes, and Giannis getting 30 and 10.
- Jayson Tatum (Celtics) – The best player on the best team (usually).
- Donovan Mitchell (Cavaliers) – The reward for a 64-win season.
All-NBA Second Team
Anthony Edwards finally feels like he’s arriving as a global superstar, even if he "only" made the Second Team. He's joined by Jalen Brunson, who has officially turned New York into a basketball town again. Then you have Evan Mobley, who is the only player this year to make both an All-NBA team and the All-Defensive First Team. That’s rare air.
All-NBA Third Team: The New Blood
The Third Team is usually where you see the future. Cade Cunningham finally got his flowers after a massive year in Detroit. Jalen Williams—SGA's partner in crime—made his debut too. It’s kinda wild to see the Thunder with two guys on these lists. It reminds me of the KD/Russ/Harden days, only this time the vibes feel a lot more sustainable.
- Cade Cunningham (Pistons)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers)
- James Harden (Clippers) - Yeah, he's back.
- Karl-Anthony Towns (Knicks)
- Jalen Williams (Thunder)
Defense Isn't Dead, It Just Moved to Cleveland and OKC
If you want to talk about the NBA All Team 2025 on the defensive side, you have to talk about Evan Mobley. He won Defensive Player of the Year and nearly swept the first-place votes. He’s the modern defensive prototype: 7 feet tall but moves like a safety.
The All-Defensive First Team also featured Dyson Daniels, who turned into a complete pest in Atlanta, and Lu Dort, who is basically a brick wall with sneakers. Draymond Green also managed to sneak back onto the First Team. People love to hate him, but the voters clearly still value how he organizes a defense.
On the Second Team, we saw Rudy Gobert and Jaren Jackson Jr., the usual suspects. But the real story was Amen Thompson in Houston and Toumani Camara in Portland. These are the guys who don't get the highlights, but they're the reason your favorite superstar had a "bad shooting night."
The Rookies Who Actually Mattered
The 2024 draft was called "weak" by basically every scout on Twitter. Fast forward a few months, and Stephon Castle looks like a future All-Star in San Antonio. He was a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection. Zach Edey also silenced a lot of doubters in Memphis. People thought he was too slow for the league, but he ended up being a double-double machine.
The Grizzlies actually got two guys on the First Team (Edey and Jaylen Wells), which is the first time that's happened since Morant and Clarke. It turns out Memphis knows how to scout better than the internet does.
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What This Means for Your Team
The NBA All Team 2025 selections aren't just about trophies. They’re about money. Big money.
Cade Cunningham making the Third Team means his contract extension just got a whole lot more expensive. For the Thunder, having SGA and Jalen Williams on these lists is a blessing and a curse—you love the talent, but the salary cap is going to be a nightmare in two years.
If you're looking for actionable takeaways from this season's awards:
- Health is a Skill: If you're betting on awards or even just following your team, look at the 65-game mark. It’s the new league standard.
- The "Big" is Back: Between Jokic, Giannis, Mobley, and Edey, the league isn't just a guard's game anymore. Size matters again, but only if you can move.
- The West is a Bloodbath: Look at the names. Most of the elite talent is still concentrated in the Western Conference, making those All-NBA spots even harder to grab for guys like Fox or Sabonis who just missed out.
Check the final voting tallies if you want to see how close some of these races were. Alperen Sengun and Jaren Jackson Jr. were right on the bubble for the Third Team. One or two more wins for their respective teams probably would have swapped them with James Harden or KAT.
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The league is shifting. The faces are changing. But as long as LeBron is still making Second Team at 40, we haven't quite reached the "new" NBA just yet.