MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named to the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team and guard Jrue Holiday has been named 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Second Team, the NBA announced Friday.
This is the second consecutive season that Antetokounmpo and Holiday have won All-Defensive team honors.
The announcement comes on the heels of the Bucks' fall to the Boston Celtics during Game 7, a loss that eliminated the Bucks from the playoffs. The team and fans were hoping for a second NBA Championship following the 2021 season.
But there is still great promise for the Bucks star players for next season.
100 sportswriters and broadcasters selected the NBA All-Defensive Team. Players were awarded two points for each vote to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and one point for each vote to the Second Team, according to a statement from the Bucks. Voters chose two guards, two forwards and one center for each team.
Read the Milwaukee Bucks' statement in full below.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has been named to the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive First Team and guard Jrue Holiday has been selected to the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Second Team, the league announced today. This marks the second consecutive season that Antetokounmpo and Holiday have earned All-Defensive team honors and the fourth consecutive season that the Bucks have had multiple players named All-Defense.
Overall this is Antetokounmpo’s fifth NBA All-Defensive Team selection, earning First Team honors the past four seasons in addition to a Second Team nod following the 2016-17 season. The 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year, Antetokounmpo led the Bucks with 91 blocks this season, averaging 1.36 per game, which was good for 11th-best in the NBA. He also averaged 9.6 defensive rebounds per game, which was tied for third-most in the league.
Holiday has now been named All-Defense in four of the last five seasons, earning First Team honors following the 2017-18 and 2020-21 seasons and Second Team selections after the 2018-19 and 2021-22 campaigns. In his second season with the Bucks, Holiday averaged a team-high 1.6 steals per game (9th in NBA), swiping multiple steals in 34 of his 67 games played.
Antetokounmpo is joined on the 2021-22 NBA All-Defensive First Team by Mikal Bridges (Phoenix Suns), Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies) and Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics). Joining Holiday on the 2021-22 NBA All-Defensive Second Team are Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), Matisse Thybulle (Philadelphia 76ers) and Robert Williams III (Boston Celtics).
The 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Defensive Team was selected by a global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters. Players were awarded two points for each vote to the NBA All-Defensive First Team and one point for each vote to the Second Team. Voters selected two guards, two forwards and one center for each team, choosing players at the position they play regularly. Players who received votes at multiple positions were slotted at the position at which they received the most voting points.
