Three former Wildcats named to 2023-24 All-NBA Teams

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three-former-wildcats-named-2023-24-all-nba-teams — Photos via USA TODAY Sports

A total of seven former Kentucky players suited up in the 2024 NBA All-Star Game — the most ever by one school. And while the more important All-NBA Teams didn’t include as many Wildcats, the Big Blue Nation was still well-represented.

On Wednesday night, the NBA announced the three All-NBA Teams for the 2023-24 season. A former Kentucky player was named to each team: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (OKC) making the First Team, Anthony Davis (LAL) on the Second Team, and Devin Booker (PHX) on the Third Team. This is the second time that SGA and Booker have made All-NBA and the fifth for Davis.

Gilgeous-Alexander received all 495 possible points as one of two unanimous selections (Nikola Jokic) while Davis received the fifth-most points on the Second Team with 230 and Booker the fifth-most on the Third Team with 70. Other former UK players to earn points were Tyrese Maxey (16), De’Aaron Fox (9), and Bam Adebayo (7).

This marks the second year in a row that a trio of Wildcats cracked All-NBA. Gilgeous-Alexander also made the First Team in 2022-23 while Julius Randle (NYK) and De’Aaron Fox (SAC) were named to the Third Team. Additionally, this is the third season in a row that at least two Kentucky players were voted onto an All-NBA Team.

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2023-24 All-NBA:

1st: Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum

2nd: Jalen Brunson, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, Kawhi Leonard

3rd: Devin Booker, Stephen Curry, Tyrese Haliburton, LeBron James, Domantas Sabonis
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 22, 2024

Gilgeous-Alexander was more than deserving of making All-NBA First Team for the second consecutive season. The 6-foot-6 floor general finished second in MVP voting behind future Hall of Famer Nikola Jokic while leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to 57 wins and the top overall seed in the Western Conference. Now in year six as a pro, SGA averaged 30.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 6.2 assists, and two steals per outing this season on shooting splits of 53.5/35.3/87.4.

As for Davis, there’s an argument to be made that he played his best overall season since 2019-20 — the same season the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA title. Now in year 12 as a pro, Davis played 76 games, the most of his career. The 6-foot-10 big man averaged 24.7 points, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.2 steals, and 2.3 blocks per outing for the Lakers while making All-Defensive First Team for the fourth time. Davis shot 55.6 percent from the field and 81.6 percent from the line.

Finally, Booker just barely snagged the final spot on the Third Team after playing in 68 games (65 is the minimum to be considered for a spot). That being said, the 6-foot-6 sharpshooter was excellent for the Phoenix Suns this season, averaging 27.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per contest on splits of 49.2/36.4/88.6. In year nine as a pro, Booker made his fourth All-Star Game appearance over the last five seasons.