Most Valuable Player LeBron James of the Miami Heat and veteran Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers headlined the list of players selected for the All-NBA team, the league said on Thursday.

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers joined James and Bryant on the first team.

James, who has won four of the past five league MVP awards, earned first team honors for a sixth consecutive season and seventh overall since entering the National Basketball Association in 2003.

The nine-time All-Star was the only player in the league to lead his team in scoring (26.8 points per game), rebounding (8) and assists (7.3). He shot a career high from the field (.565) and from three-point range (.406).

Bryant was chosen for the eighth consecutive season and a record-tying 11th time in his career, putting him level with Hall of Famer Karl Malone.

The 34-year-old Bryant, a 15-time All-Star, scored 2,133 points during the season (averaging 27.3) as he moved past Wilt Chamberlain into fourth place in the NBA's all-time scoring list.

Duncan earned his 10th first-team selection while Durant got the nod for a fourth time and Paul for a third.

The second team consisted of San Antonio's Tony Parker, Oklahoma's Russell Westbrook, NBA top scorer Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks, Blake Griffin of the Los Angeles Clippers and Marc Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Third team members were Houston's James Harden, Miami's Dwyane Wade, Indiana's Paul George, David Lee of the Golden State Warriors and Dwight Howard of the Los Angeles Lakers.

(China Daily 05/25/2013 page16)