LeBron extends All-NBA selection

LeBron James made history as he became the youngest — and oldest — player to be part of the All-National Basketball Team after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the playoffs.

The 39-year-old James was voted into the All-NBA Third Team, prompting him to make his 20th selection in the prestigious honor that he won when he was still playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2004-05 season.

Making the First Team that was revealed on Thursday morning (Manila time) are newly-crowned Most Valuable Player Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks and Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics.

On the Second Team are Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks, Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kevin Durant of the Phoenix Suns, Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers and Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Meanwhile, joining James in the Third Team are Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, Domantas Sabonis of the Sacramento Kings, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns.

LeBron James made history as he became the youngest — and oldest — player to be part of the All-National Basketball Team after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the playoffs.

The NBA changed the rules starting with this season and All-NBA voting is now position-less — as opposed to having two guards, two forwards and one center on each of the teams, a formula that had been in place since the 1950s. Players also had to appear in a minimum number of games, in most cases, to be eligible for award consideration from the panel of 99 broadcasters and writers who served as the voting panel.

For James, who was the youngest player to make All-NBA when he was first voted into the team, another selection only added to his list of accomplishments.

The 20 All-NBA overall picks extended his record, a total that’s now five more than Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

His 20 consecutive selections are obviously another record, and he’s the first player to be age 39 or older during what became an All-NBA regular season.

Abdul-Jabbar and Duncan were both just a few days from turning 39 when the regular seasons ended in what became their final All-NBA campaigns, Abdul-Jabbar’s being 1985-86 and Duncan’s being 2014-15.

James — also the NBA’s career scoring leader — played in 71 games this season, the last 42 of those coming after he turned 39.

For Doncic and Gilgeous-Alexander, the All-NBA nods mean they are poised for supermax extensions that can be signed in 2025, both of which would set records.

Doncic can sign a five-year deal worth about $347 million, starting at nearly $60 million in 2026-27 and ending at about $79 million in 2030-31.

Gilgeous-Alexander, for his part, will be eligible to sign a four-year extension worth about $294 million. His deal would start in 2027-28 at around $65 million — and the final year, 2030-31, would see him earning just over $81 million, or nearly $1 million per game. It would be the first time an NBA player’s annual salary has topped $80 million.