"2nd team would smoke 1 and 3 by a mile" - Fans erupt after key stars miss 2024-25 All-NBA First Team honors

On Friday, the names of the All-NBA First Team were reported by NBA insider Shams Charania, along with the players who made it to the Second and Third Teams. Right away, fans posted their enthusiastic responses to this lineup reveal on social media — particularly when it came to the First Team.

Headlining the First Team were the 2025 MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the two other MVP finalists. The Second Team included two NBA icons, while the Third Team had some young, up-and-coming stars.

Shams Charania

@ShamsCharania

All-NBA:

1st: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell

2nd: Jalen Brunson, Stephen Curry, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Evan Mobley

3rd: Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Williams

While all the names tweeted by Charania are top-tier hoopers, fans argued that certain players would have been better picks for the First Team.

jack

@yoowhatsgooood

2nd team would smoke 1 and 3 by a mileeee

Auto Techie

@theAutoTechie

tatum over Brunson and Antman...bruh

TrellJSports

@TrellJSports

Spida over Bron ????

What a joke

Nameless Ninja

@NamelessNinja1

Bron should’ve been 1st over Tatum

Evidently, the support for LeBron James remains strong even after his 22nd year in the league. To James' credit, he was still a formidable competitor this past season, averaging 24.4 ppg on 51.3% shooting from the field, along with 7.8 rpg and 8.2 apg.

Though a number of fans have taken aim at the inclusion of Jayson Tatum and Donovan Mitchell in the First Team, the numbers show that they have a strong case for the accolade. Both Tatum (28.1 ppg, 11.5 rpg, 5.4 apg) and Mitchell (29.6 ppg on 44.3% FG shooting) made the top 10 in scoring, and more importantly, they led their respective teams to the top two seeds in the Eastern Conference.

Meanwhile, other fans sparked a debate involving the selections for the Second Team and Third Team as well.

DJ MacTen

@DJ_MacTen214

Brunson and Ant deserve it, no question. But Cade over Fox, Luka, or even Booker? Come on now.

Aidan LaPorta

@AidanLaPorta69

Harden had better stats than Spida and Steph btw…..

While all the players cited by these fans had impressive statistics, there were only so many players that could make the cut in the All-NBA selections. With this award now in the history books, all eyes will turn back to the ultimate race for the Larry O'Brien trophy.

All-NBA First Team: Jayson Tatum joins three other players as unanimous selection

Though many skeptics have reacted negatively to Tatum's selection as a member of the All-NBA First Team, there appears to have been no doubt on the part of the voters who had the power to select the roster.

As reported by Boston Celtics beat writer Noa Dalzell, Tatum — along with three other MVP-caliber players — got a first-place nod from every voter in the selection process.

Noa Dalzell

@NoaDalzell

Jayson Tatum was a unanimous first-team All-NBA Selection. Received all 100 first-place votes.

The other unanimous First Team selections were Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetetokounmpo.