One of the moments that always draws the attention of fans is the announcement of season honors, particularly the selections to the All-NBA First Team. Boston Celtics guard Derrick White has now offered his own prediction for the 2025-26 All-NBA First Team, and he left out two of the gameâs biggest names: LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
White shared his picks on the White Noise Podcast with Derrick White. His list included some of the most dominant players in todayâs NBA, though he admitted to leaning toward one of his own teammates. âI mean, probably [Nikola] Jokic, Giannis [Antetokounmpo], thatâs probably the obvious ones,â White said. âLuka Doncic, Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], and Jaylen Brown.â
The All-NBA First Team for the 2024-25 season consisted of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic. White predicted two changes from that group, swapping Mitchell and Tatum for Luka Doncic and Jaylen Brown. Aside from his Celtics bias with Brown, the rest of the choices were hard to argue against.
Gilgeous-Alexander dominated last season with averages of 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game for the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was his third straight First Team selection, and there is little reason to believe the 2025 MVP will not extend that streak.
LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors
Speaking of streaks, Doncic had been a First Team selection five years in a row, from 2020 through 2024. However, he played in only 50 games last season, which kept him off the list in 2025.
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The absence of LeBron and Curry
The absence of James and Curry is becoming less surprising as time passes. Both remain among the NBAâs brightest stars and leaders for their teams, but the transition of power to the next generation is already underway.
The last time Curry earned a First Team All-NBA selection was the 2020-21 season. Since then, he has been voted to the Second and Third Teams, but not the First. As for James, his last First Team selection came in the 2019-20 season.
The last time LeBron James and Stephen Curry were selected together
The last time James and Curry were both named to the All-NBA First Team was the 2015-16 season. That year was particularly memorable, as the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors advanced to the NBA Finals, where they faced off for the championship. Curry, notably, was the only unanimous First Team selection that season.
