James Harden, LeBron James Headline All-NBA First Team
James Harden was named to the All-NBA First Team on Wednesday, marking his sixth straight First Team appearance.
Harden is joined by Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Luka Doncic on the All-NBA First Team. Antetokounmpo and James were unanimously selected.
Wednesday's honor marks Harden's sixth First Team honor in eight seasons with Houston. Harden is now tied with Hakeem Olajuwon for the franchise record. Houston's leading man won his third straight scoring title in 2019-20, but the Rockets were eliminated in the second round after a five-game series against the Lakers.
James is now eyeing his first championship in Los Angeles, and he added another accolade to his Hall-of-Fame resume on Wednesday. James is a 16-time All-NBA honoree, the most of any player in league history. He has been selected as a First Team All-NBA player 13 times.
Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook earned a Third Team All-NBA selection on Wednesday. He is the first Harden teammate to be named to an All-NBA team since Dwight Howard in 2013-14.
Westbrook struggled out of the gate with Houston, but he found an MVP rhythm as the calendar turned to 2020. The former Thunder point guard averaged 31.7 points per game from Jan. 1 until the COVID-19 suspension in March, turning in the most efficient season of his career. But Westbrook's struggles returned in the postseason. He averaged just 17.9 points and 4.6 assists per game in the 2020 playoffs, shooting 42.1% from the field and 24.2% from three. Houston's superstar swap hasn't paid off thus far.
The Rockets have made the playoffs in eight straight seasons with Harden. They are still eyeing their first Finals appearance since 1995.
