Getty LeBron James and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Los Angeles Lakers have their eyes on a championship, but making some history with both Anthony Davis and LeBron James landing on the All-NBA first team was a nice treat on Wednesday.
It was the first time teammates earned first-team selections since Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire did it during the 2006-07 season. It also marked the 13th time James was named a first-team selection, moving him past Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant for the most total All-NBA selections (16) in a career.
The 2020 All-NBA First Team
⭐️ Luka Doncic
⭐️ James Harden
⭐️ LeBron James
⭐️ Giannis Antetokounmpo
⭐️ Anthony Davis
But he didn’t get hung up on his honor. Instead, James heaped praise on Davis, calling him a “generational talent.”
“CONGRATULATIONS my woe!!!!!! Proud of you bro FR FR!! Keep going,” James wrote on Instagram. “Generational Talent at its FINEST man!! INCREDIBLE!”
Luka Doncic, James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo joined the Laker duo on the first team.
The All-NBA second team was made up of Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard (372 points), Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić (311), Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (284), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Chris Paul (199) and Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam (168).
Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum (153 points), Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (147), Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (110), Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons (61) and Rockets guard Russell Westbrook (56) were the All-NBA third-team selections.
LeBron James, Anthony Davis Have Lakers in Championship Chase
Davis finished the regular season averaging 26.1 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 2.3 blocks and 1.5 steals. He finished runner-up in Defensive Player of the Year voting.
In Year 17 of his career, James led the league in assists with 10.2 per game and put away 25.3 points per game. The King also snagged 7.8 rebounds this season.
James had long petitioned for Davis to land with the Lakers to be his co-star and has had high praise for him throughout the year. He previously had dubbed him a generational talent in March back before the season was put on hold.
“It’s everything I expected and more. Obviously, that’s why I wanted him here. When you get a generational talent like that and you got an opportunity to get him, you just try to do whatever you can to get him,” James said, per Bleacher Report. “I gave my opinion on what I thought he could bring to this franchise. I gave my thoughts about the player—but not only the player, the person. Hopefully, they took my advice to heart. And obviously, ultimately they made the decision to do what we did in the offseason. It’s no surprise to me.”
Kyle Kuzma Congratulates LeBron James, Anthony Davis
The biggest beneficiary of playing alongside James and Davis could be Lakers young forward Kyle Kuzma. He’s just in his third season, but gets to see up close two of the best to ever do it. Kuzma gave a shoutout to his mentors on social media following the award announcement.
“Getting basketball 101 from 1ST TEAM,” Kuzma wrote on a photo of the three together.
The Lakers are shifting their focus to the Denver Nuggets, a team fresh off of a 3-1 series comeback against the Los Angeles Clippers. However, that hasn’t earned the Mile High squad any respect. The Lakers are a massive -525 favorite to advance to the NBA Finals. Game 1 is scheduled for Friday.