For the first time since awards have been handed out to NBA players, all-rookie, all-defensive, and all-NBA teams are now positionless, paving the way for the best five players to make up a team regardless of position.

And for the league’s All-Defensive teams list for this year, 4 bigs have been dominant throughout the regular season and have made the all-defensive first team – making up 4 of the 5 spots – an unprecedented turn of events in the NBA’s awarding space.

Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, his runner-up and Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, Defensive Player of the Year finalist Bam Adebayo, and Anthony Davis have been named to the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team, the league announced Tuesday night. 

All four, who play the center position, have been the most dominant defensive players during the regular season and have rightfully deserved a spot in the team. The 5th and only player that was not a big man was forward Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans.

Gobert got all 99 1st place votes, Wembanyama had 86 1st place and 12 2nd place votes, Adebayo had 73 and 22, Davis had 60 and 31, and Jones had 66 and 27.  Wembanyama became the first rookie in NBA history to make the first team, as several other rookies made the second team.

Making up the All-Defensive Second team were four guards Boston Celtics’ Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, Orlando Magic’s Jalen Suggs, Chicago Bulls’ Alex Caruso, and a forward in Minnesota Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels.

Among the noticeable snubs from the 10-man rookie list that could have been awarded were the Portland Trailblazers’ Scoot Henderson (3rd overall), Detroit Pistons’ Ausar Thompson (5th overall pick), and Golden State Warriors’ Trayce Jackson-Davis (57th overall pick).

Check out the full results here:

The 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive First Team:

▪️ Bam Adebayo
▪️ Anthony Davis
▪️ Rudy Gobert
▪️ Herb Jones
▪️ Victor Wembanyama

The 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive Second Team:

▪️ Alex Caruso
▪️ Jrue Holiday
▪️ Jaden McDaniels
▪️ Jalen Suggs of
▪️ Derrick White

Who got snubbed? pic.twitter.com/Uft0NYQS0F

— BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) May 21, 2024