Most All-NBA First Team Selections in History

With 15 All-NBA First Team selections Lebron James has tied Kobe Bryant for the most all time. See where else these two legends and other all-time greats rank on the list.

All-Time All-NBA First Team Selections

In the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA), there have been 137 players who have been selected to at least one All-NBA First Team. Of those 137 players, a total of 41 have been selected to the First Team on more than one occasion, while 11 players have been selected to the NBA All-First Team nine times.

The most recent player to be selected for an All-NBA First Team was Lebron James who was named to the team for the 2017–18 season. James has also been named to the All-NBA First Team on eight other occasions, tied for the second-most selections in history.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who played 20 seasons in the NBA, has been selected to an All-NBA First Team on a record 10 occasions. He is followed by Lebron James and Bob Cousy, who have each been selected nine times. Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant are tied for fourth place with eight selections apiece.

Most All-NBA First Team Selections by Player

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 10
Lebron James 10
Michael Jordan 10
Bill Russell 10
Kevin Durant 9
Karl Malone 9
Tim Duncan 9
Wilt Chamberlain 7
Oscar Robertson 7
Magic Johnson 6

Most All-NBA First Team Selections by Franchise

The All-NBA team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1949-50 NBA season to the best players in the league following every NBA season The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second and third team selections. Thesehonorees are part of the larger NBA All-Star Weekend that occurs every February.

Since its inception, the All-NBA team has been a prestigious honor, with only the league’s Top Players being selected for recognition. In its early years, however, some players who were not among the very best in the league were still able to receive All-NBA honors. A player who does not make one of the three All-NBA teams can still be named to an All-Star team

The record for most All-NBA First Team selections is held by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who was named to First Team 11 times in his 20 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers. Below is a list of franchises with the most All-NBA First Team selections in history.

All-Time All-NBA Second Team Selections

All-NBA is an annual selection by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters of the top players at each position in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The All-NBA Teams were first introduced in the 1955-56 season. Kobe Bryant with 11 selections, has the record for most All-NBA First Team selections in history. Lebron James is second with 10; Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Shaquille O’Neal, and Tim Duncan have nine apiece.

Most All-NBA Second Team Selections by Player

There have been a total of 49 players who have been selected to the All-NBA First Team more than once in their career. Of those 49 players, only 7 have been selected 3 or more times. Here is a list of those 7 players:

-Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: 10 times
--Lebron James 9 times
--Kevin Durant 8 times
-Tim Duncan: 8 times
--Kobe Bryant 7 times
--Michael Jordan 6 times
-Shaquille O’Neal: 6 times

Most All-NBA Second Team Selections by Franchise

The All-NBA team is an annual honor given by the National Basketball Association (NBA) to the best players in the league following every NBA season The voting is conducted by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada, each of whom casts a vote for first, second, and third team selections. These selections are then compiled into a single team that consists of five players for each of the three positions: point guard shooting guard small forward Power Forward and center.

In order for a player to be eligible for selection to an All-NBA Team he must have played in at least 60 games during the regular season If a player meets this criterion but has not been selected to either the All-NBA First Team or the All-NBA Second Team in any prior season, he will be listed as “first ballot” eligible; otherwise, he will be listed as “second ballot” eligible.

Players who have been selected to both an All-NBA team and an NBA All-Star Team in the same season are marked with an asterisk (*). These players have also been selected as Most Valuable Player of the year in at least one season.

Franchise: Boston Celtics
Most Second Team Selections: 8
(Dave Cowens – 1974* & 1976*; Robert Parish – 1981; Kevin McHale – 1984* & 1985*; Dennis Johnson – 1986*; Reggie Lewis – 1992)

Franchise: Los Angeles Lakers
Most Second Team Selections: 8
(Elgin Baylor – 1960*, 1961*, 1962*, 1963 & 1965; Pau Gasol – 2008 & 2009)

All-Time All-NBA Third Team Selections

The All-NBA teams are an annual tradition that dates back to the 1957-58 season. Each year, the best players in the league are recognized for their efforts with a spot on one of the three All-NBA teams

While making an All-NBA team is an impressive feat in itself, there are a select few players who have been good enough to earn a spot on the First Team multiple times. In fact, only 28 players in NBA history have been named to the All-NBA First Team more than once.

Here is a look at the full list of players with the most All-NBA First Team selections in history:

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 10
2. LeBron James – 9*
3. Kobe Bryant – 9
4. Michael Jordan – 9
5. Tim Duncan – 8
6. Karl Malone – 8
7. Moses Malone – 8
8. Kevin Garnett – 7*
9. Dirk Nowitzki – 7*
10. Jerry West – 7

Most All-NBA Third Team Selections by Player

Players with the most All-NBA first team selections in history:

1. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar – 10
2. Lebron James – 9
3. Kevin Durant – 8
4. Kobe Bryant – 8
5. Tim Duncan – 8
6. Karl Malone – 7
7. Bob Pettit – 6
8. Shaquille O’Neal – 6
9. Jerry West – 6
10. Magic Johnson – 6

Most All-NBA Third Team Selections by Franchise

The All-NBA teams are composed of the 15 best performing players in the National Basketball Association (NBA) during the regular season The selections are made by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. The teams were first introduced in the 1955–56 season. Franchise leaders for most selections on an All-NBA Team are noted below.

Teams with the most All-NBA First Team selections:
Boston Celtics (31)
Los Angeles Lakers (28)
Philadelphia 76ers (17)
Chicago Bulls (16)
Cleveland Cavaliers (11)

Teams with the most All-NBA Second Team selections:
Los Angeles Lakers (23)
Boston Celtics (19)
Houston Rockets (12)
Chicago Bulls (11)
Golden State Warriors (10)

Teams with the most All-NBA Third Team selections:

San Antonio Spurs (9)
Phoenix Suns (8)
Houston Rockets (7)

All-Time All-NBA Honorable Mentions

In the history of the All-NBA teams there have been many Great players who have been honored with a spot on one of the three All-NBA teams However, there have been even more great players who have not been able to crack the top three. This honor is typically reserved for the best of the best in the NBA, but there have been many players throughout history who have been very deserving of an All-NBA spot but have not been able to get one. In this article, we will take a look at the most All-NBA first team selections in history.