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NBA All-Defensive Team
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| National Basketball Association awards and honors |
|---|
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| Individual awards |
| Honors |
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The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two five-man lineups, a first and a second team. Voting is conducted by a panel of 123 writers and broadcasters.[1] Prior to the 2013–14 NBA season, voting was performed by the NBA head coaches, who were restricted from voting for players on their own team.[2][3] The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. In the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six players due to a tie, the second team will still consist of five players with the potential for more expansion in the event of additional ties. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2013 when Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah tied in votes received.
Starting with the 2023–24 season, players must appear in at least 65 games (out of the normal 82-game schedule) to be eligible for most major regular-season playing awards and honors, including the All-Defensive Team. To receive credit for a game for purposes of award eligibility, a player must have been credited with at least 20 minutes played. However, two "near misses", in which the player appeared for 15 to 19 minutes, can be included in the 65-game count. Protections also exist for players who suffer season-ending injuries, who are eligible with 62 credited games, and those affected by what the CBA calls "bad faith circumstances".[4][5] Also starting with the 2023–24 season, the All-Defensive Teams were no longer bound by position.
Tim Duncan holds the record for the most total selections to the All-Defensive Team with 15.[6] Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant follow with 12 total honors each, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has 11 total selections. Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Garnett and Bryant share the record for most NBA All-Defensive first team selections with nine. Scottie Pippen, Bobby Jones, and Duncan made the first team eight times each. Walt Frazier, Dennis Rodman and Chris Paul made the All-Defensive first team seven times.[6] Victor Wembanyama was the first rookie to make the All-Defensive first team, doing it as a member of the San Antonio Spurs during the 2023–24 season.
When the coaches were responsible for voting, there were occasionally inconsistencies between the All-Defensive Team and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, which has been voted on by the media. On four occasions, the Defensive Player of the Year winner was not voted to the All-Defensive first team in the same year. Player of the Year winners Alvin Robertson (1986), Dikembe Mutombo (1995), Tyson Chandler (2012) and Marc Gasol (2013) were instead named to the second team.[7]
Selections
[edit]
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| ^ | Denotes players who are still active in the NBA |
| * | Denotes players inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| † | Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration[a] |
| § | 1st time eligible for Hall of Fame in 2026[8] |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been selected |
| Player (in bold text) |
Indicates the player who won the Defensive Player of the Year award in the same year[b] |
Most selections
[edit]The following table only lists players with at least nine total selections.
| * | Denotes players inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame |
| ^ | Denotes players who are still active |
| Player | Pos | Total | First Team | Second Team |
Defensive Player of the Year[b] |
Seasons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tim Duncan* | F/C | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 19 |
| Kevin Garnett* | F | 12 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 21 |
| Kobe Bryant* | G | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Kareem Abdul-Jabbar* | C | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
| Scottie Pippen* | F | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 17 |
| Gary Payton* | G | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 17 |
| Michael Jordan* | G | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| Bobby Jones* | F | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 12 |
| Chris Paul^ | G | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 19 |
| Dennis Johnson* | G | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 14 |
| Hakeem Olajuwon* | C | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 18 |
| Draymond Green^ | F | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 13 |
| Jason Kidd* | G | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 19 |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ A player is not eligible for induction into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame until he has been fully retired for two calendar years.
- ^ a b The Defensive Player of the Year award was first established in 1983.
- ^ Sanders has been inducted to the Naismith Hall as a contributor.
- ^ a b c d e f Jerry Sloan has been inducted to the Naismith Hall as a coach.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Before the 1971–72 season, Lew Alcindor changed his name to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.[9]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i When Olajuwon arrived to the United States, the University of Houston incorrectly spelled his first name "Akeem". He used that spelling until March 9, 1991, when he announced that he would add an H.[10][11][12]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Although Tim Duncan was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and is a United States citizen,[13] the NBA considers him an international player.
- ^ a b c d Ron Artest changed his name into Metta World Peace on September 16, 2011,[14] and after his playing career changed it again to Metta Sandiford-Artest.
- ^ a b Although Raja Bell was born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and is a United States citizen, the NBA considers him an international player.
- ^ Luol Deng was born in Wau, Sudan (now in South Sudan), but became a British citizen in 2006, and has played for the Great Britain national team.
References
[edit]- General
- "All-Defensive Teams". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on July 17, 2008. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
- "All-Defensive Teams". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
- Specific
- ^ "Top defender Noah highlights 2014 All-Defensive Team". NBA.com (Press release). NBA Media Ventures. June 2, 2014. Archived from the original on February 18, 2015. Retrieved March 16, 2015.
- ^ "Ben Wallace Tops 2005–06 NBA All-Defensive Team Selections". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. May 11, 2006. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
- ^ McGraw, Mike (June 2, 2014). "Noah dominates all-defensive voting". Daily Herald. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
- ^ Helin, Kurt (April 18, 2023). "More details emerge on new NBA CBA, including details on 65-game threshold for awards". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
- ^ "Article XXIX, Section 6: Games Played Requirement for Certain League Honors" (PDF). NBA Collective Bargaining Agreement. National Basketball Players Association. July 2023. pp. 432–38. Retrieved September 13, 2023. The games played requirement specifically applies to the MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and Most Improved Player awards, as well as the All-NBA and All-Defensive Teams.
- ^ a b "All-Defensive Selections by Player". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved July 18, 2008.
- ^ Begley, Ian (May 23, 2012). "Tyson named to all-defensive second team". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on June 26, 2012.
- ^ "2026 Hall of Fame Candidates". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved April 9, 2024.
- ^ "Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Bio". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Retrieved August 4, 2008.
- ^ "Hakeem Olajuwon Bio: 1992–93". NBA.com. Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008. Retrieved June 15, 2008.
- ^ Dufresne, Chris (March 11, 1991). "Hakeem Still Can Be Called 'the Dream'". Los Angeles Times. p. 2.
- ^ Olajuwon and Knobler. pg. 207
- ^ "Virgin Islands". CIA World Factbook. Archived from the original on January 13, 2021. Retrieved August 12, 2008.
- ^ "Artest's Name Change to Metta World Peace Approved". The New York Times. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
NBA All-Defensive Team
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History
Establishment
The NBA All-Defensive Team was introduced during the 1968–69 season to honor the league's top defensive performers, filling a gap in recognition that had previously favored offensive achievements through awards like the All-NBA Team.[1] This new honor arrived amid the NBA's expansion era, as the league added the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns as franchises, increasing from 12 to 14 teams.[10] The inaugural selections featured a First Team of Nate Thurmond (San Francisco Warriors), Bill Russell (Boston Celtics), Jerry Sloan (Chicago Bulls), Dave DeBusschere (New York Knicks), and Walt Frazier (New York Knicks), alongside a Second Team including Rudy LaRusso (San Francisco Warriors), John Havlicek (Boston Celtics), Bill Bridges (Atlanta Hawks), Tom Sanders (Boston Celtics), and Jerry West (Los Angeles Lakers).[1] Voting for the initial teams was conducted by the NBA's head coaches, who were prohibited from selecting players from their own rosters to ensure impartiality.[11]Evolution and Changes
The NBA All-Defensive Team, introduced in the 1968–69 season, has undergone several key modifications to its selection process over the years to enhance objectivity and adapt to the league's evolving structure.[1] From the award's inception through the 2012–13 season, voting was exclusively handled by the league's 30 head coaches, who selected players while prohibited from voting for members of their own teams. This system faced criticism for potential biases, such as favoring players from defensively strong teams or overlooking opponents due to limited exposure. Starting with the 2013–14 season, the NBA shifted voting responsibility to a panel of media members to mitigate these concerns and align the All-Defensive Team selection with other major individual honors, like the Defensive Player of the Year award, which has long been determined by media votes.[12][13] The transition expanded the voter base significantly, moving from 30 domestic coaches to a global media panel that initially included 123 writers and broadcasters, later refined to a consistent group of 100 voters to promote uniformity across NBA awards. This panel incorporates international media representatives, reflecting the league's worldwide audience and ensuring broader perspectives on player performances.[4][14] Additionally, from the 1972–73 to 1975–76 seasons, the All-Defensive Team included players from the American Basketball Association (ABA) ahead of the leagues' merger.[2] A major eligibility update came in the 2023–24 season under the new collective bargaining agreement, instituting a 65-game minimum requirement for consideration of the All-Defensive Team and other key honors. Players must appear in at least 65 regular-season games, logging 20 or more minutes per game in those contests, with narrow exceptions for documented injuries, illnesses, or national team obligations to encourage participation while protecting health.[15][12] Announcements for the All-Defensive Teams occur annually in May, shortly after the regular season concludes, allowing for a comprehensive review of performances. Since the 2021–22 season, the league's partnership with Kia has integrated sponsorship into NBA awards, with the All-Defensive honor officially branded as the Kia NBA All-Defensive Team in subsequent years to highlight corporate alignment with defensive excellence.[4][16]Selection Process
Voters and Eligibility
The NBA All-Defensive Team is selected by a global panel of approximately 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who regularly cover the league, with voters chosen by the NBA to ensure expertise and impartiality.[4] This media-based voting process replaced the previous system of NBA head coaches in the 2013–14 season to broaden perspectives and reduce potential conflicts.[17] To promote objectivity, voters are prohibited from being employed by or directly affiliated with any NBA team, including team broadcasters or media members in team roles, thereby avoiding biases tied to local affiliations or markets.[18] Player eligibility for the All-Defensive Team requires participation in at least 65 qualified regular-season games, where a qualified game is one in which the player logged 20 or more minutes (up to two games with 15-19 minutes may count toward the total), a rule implemented starting in the 2023–24 season to encourage availability while qualifying major end-of-season honors like All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year.[19][12] This threshold applies uniformly to all players, including rookies, with no exemptions based on experience level or requirements for specific defensive statistics, allowing voters to assess overall defensive impact qualitatively. For players sidelined by season-ending injuries, an exception permits eligibility if they participated in at least 62 qualified games and at least 85% of their team's games up to the injury date, subject to league approval via grievance.[12] Following the selection announcement, the NBA releases the full voting results, detailing the total points accumulated by each nominated player to provide transparency into the process.[14]Voting Mechanics
The voting for the NBA All-Defensive Team occurs during the final weeks of the regular season, with ballots typically due in mid-April to allow for evaluation of full-season performances. A global panel of approximately 100 sportswriters and broadcasters casts votes, submitting ballots that select five players for the First Team and five players for the Second Team. Since the 2023–24 season, these selections are positionless, meaning voters can choose any players without regard to traditional guard, forward, or center designations, a change implemented as part of the league's new collective bargaining agreement to better reflect modern basketball roles.[4] Each First Team vote awards a player two points, while each Second Team vote awards one point. The five players accumulating the most points are named to the All-Defensive First Team, and the next five highest point-earners form the Second Team. In cases of ties for the fifth position on either team, the league expands the roster to include all tied players, as occurred in the 2012–13 season when the Second Team included six members due to a tie between Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah.[4] Results are compiled by an independent firm and placed under embargo until the official announcement, typically made in late May shortly after the regular season concludes, ensuring synchronized media coverage. This process emphasizes defensive contributions across the entire season, prioritizing players who demonstrate elite perimeter or interior defense through steals, blocks, and overall team impact.[20]Format
Team Composition
The NBA All-Defensive Team recognizes the league's top defensive performers each season through two distinct squads: the First Team, comprising the five premier defenders, and the Second Team, featuring the next tier of elite defenders.[4][21] This structure has been consistent since the award's inception following the 1968-69 season, when it was first selected to honor outstanding defensive contributions.[21] Typically, the two teams result in 10 total honorees per season, with each team limited to exactly five players to reflect a balanced starting lineup on the court.[1] However, in the event of ties for the fifth position on either team, the roster expands to include additional players, ensuring all deserving candidates are recognized without displacing higher vote-getters. For instance, during the 2012-13 season, a tie for the final First Team spot led to both Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah being selected.[1] A player cannot appear on both the First and Second Teams in the same season, preventing duplicates and maintaining the award's tiered hierarchy.[4] This fixed five-player-per-team format has remained unchanged throughout the award's history, providing a stable benchmark for defensive excellence that distinguishes it from other NBA honors, such as the All-Rookie Team, which underwent structural changes like the addition of a second team in the 1980s.[21][22] The consistency underscores the All-Defensive Team's role in standardizing recognition of defensive impact across eras.[1]Positional Guidelines
Prior to the 2023–24 season, voters for the NBA All-Defensive Teams were required to select two guards, two forwards, and one center for each of the First and Second Teams, a structure designed to mirror the traditional five-player lineup balance on the court.[21] Starting with the 2023–24 season, the NBA transitioned to a positionless format for All-Defensive Team selections, permitting any combination of five players regardless of position and emphasizing overall defensive contributions.[23] This adjustment aligned the award with the evolving nature of professional basketball, where players increasingly exhibit versatility across roles, avoiding scenarios in which elite defenders like Joel Embiid were potentially disadvantaged by rigid positional classifications in prior voting.[6] The shift was part of broader league updates under the 2023 collective bargaining agreement, which also applied similar changes to All-NBA Teams to reflect modern gameplay trends.[24] The impact of the positionless approach was evident in the 2023–24 selections, where the First Team included four big men—centers Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama, and Bam Adebayo, plus forward/center Anthony Davis—alongside forward Herb Jones, marking a departure from conventional guard-heavy or balanced lineups.[25] This trend continued in the 2024-25 season, with the First Team featuring guards Dyson Daniels and Luguentz Dort, forward Draymond Green, forward/center Evan Mobley, and forward Amen Thompson, further illustrating the format's emphasis on versatile defensive roles without positional quotas.[4] These compositions underscore how the new guidelines enable recognition of dominant defenders across all positions, broadening the award's representation of defensive excellence in contemporary lineups.[26]Records
Most Selections
Tim Duncan holds the record for the most NBA All-Defensive Team selections with 15 honors across his career, consisting of eight First Team nods and seven Second Team selections from the 1997–98 season through the 2014–15 season.[27] This achievement spans multiple eras of the league, highlighting his consistent defensive excellence as a power forward for the San Antonio Spurs.[27] Following Duncan, Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant each earned 12 All-Defensive Team selections, tying for second place all-time.[27] Garnett received nine First Team and three Second Team honors from the 1999–00 through the 2011–12 seasons, primarily as a power forward with the Minnesota Timberwolves and Boston Celtics.[27] Bryant garnered nine First Team and three Second Team selections from 1999–2000 to 2010–11, showcasing his perimeter defense as a shooting guard for the Los Angeles Lakers.[27] The following table lists the top 10 players by total All-Defensive Team selections, including breakdowns by team level and career spans:[27]| Rank | Player | Total | 1st Team | 2nd Team | Years (Span) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tim Duncan | 15 | 8 | 7 | 1997–2015 |
| 2 | Kobe Bryant | 12 | 9 | 3 | 2000–2011 |
| 2 | Kevin Garnett | 12 | 9 | 3 | 1999–2012 |
| 4 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | 11 | 5 | 6 | 1970–1989 |
| 4 | Bobby Jones | 11 | 8 | 1 | 1976–1985* |
| 6 | Scottie Pippen | 10 | 8 | 2 | 1992–2000 |
| 7 | Draymond Green | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2015–2025 |
| 8t | Dennis Johnson | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1979–1987 |
| 8t | Michael Jordan | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1988–1993 |
| 8t | Jason Kidd | 9 | 4 | 5 | 1999–2006 |
| 8t | Hakeem Olajuwon | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1987–1997 |
| 8t | Chris Paul | 9 | 7 | 2 | 2009–2017 |
| 8t | Gary Payton | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1994–2002 |