With one week remaining in the 2016-17 regular season, Anthony Davis half-jokingly told the media that although being chosen for an All-NBA team would be meaningful for him, “last year it would’ve meant a lot more.”
Davis was referring to a clause in his New Orleans Pelicans contract that triggers financial incentives based on individual awards, including the All-NBA honor. However, despite ranking as one of the league’s premier scorers, rebounders and shot-blockers in ’15-16, Davis was left off each of the three All-NBA squads, preventing him from picking up a significant bonus in his contract.
Although it won’t provide any extra compensation this time, the 24-year-old returned to elite status today, earning 2016-17 first-team All-NBA recognition for the second time in three years.