Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James keeps the ball from Boston Celtics forward Marcus Morris during the first quarter of Game 5 of the NBA basketball Eastern Conference finals Wednesday, May 23, 2018, in Boston. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Cleveland Cavaliers superstar forward LeBron James was named to his league-record 12th All-NBA First Team on Thursday, joining Houston Rockets guard James Harden as a unanimous selection.
James, seeking an eighth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals in his 15th NBA campaign, moved past Kobe Bryant and Karl Malone for the most selections to the elite squad by a global media panel, being named on all 100 ballots.
The four-time NBA Most Valuable Player ranked third in the league with 27.5 points a game and also averaged 8.6 rebounds and a career-high 9.1 assists a game.
Harden, this season’s NBA scoring champion with 30.4 points a game, was a unanimous choice for the second year in a row. He also led the NBA with 265 3-point baskets and has sparked the Rockets into the Western Conference final.
Others on the All-NBA First Team included Golden State forward Kevin Durant, New Orleans center Anthony Davis and Portland guard Damian Lillard, who was given his first nod onto the select squad.
Davis ranked second in the NBA with 28.1 points per contest and grabbed 11.1 rebounds a game, while Lillard was fourth with 26.9 points a game and four-time scoring champion Durant ranked sixth with 26.4 a game.
James, Harden and Davis are finalists for this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player award.
Greek forward Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Cameroonian center Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers were named to the All-NBA Second Team along with San Antonio forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Oklahoma City guard Russell Westbrook and Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan, who edged Golden State’s Stephen Curry by one vote for the last spot on the second squad.
The All-NBA Third Team included Curry, Indiana guard Victor Oladipo, Minnesota’s Jimmy Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns and Oklahoma City’s Paul George.
It was the first time on any of the post-season honor teams for Embiid, Oladipo and Towns.
Davis led the NBA in blocked shots with 2.57 a game.
James had a career-high 18 triple doubles and played in all 82 games for the first time in a season.
Harden record the first 60-point triple-double in NBA history and had 50-point performances this season.