Nash unanimous, joined by Stoudemire on All-NBA team

May 10, 2007 - 6:38 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash was a unanimous selection to the All-NBA Team announced Thursday and was joined by center Amare Stoudemire, the first pair of teammates chosen in three years.

Forwards Dirk Nowitzki of Dallas and Tim Duncan of San Antonio and guard Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers round out the prestigious squad, which was voted on by a panel of 129 writers and broadcasters throughout North America who cover the NBA.

Nash and Stoudemire are the first pair of teammates to receive First Team honors since Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal in 2004.

The winner of the last two MVP awards, Nash received 129 first-place votes and 645 points in earning a First Team selection for the third straight year. He led the NBA with a career-high 11.6 assists per game and became the first player in 16 years to average at least 18 points (18.6) and 11 assists.

Stoudemire garnered 36 first-place votes and 494 points for his initial First Team nod as he completed a remarkable comeback from microfracture surgery that kept him out of all but three games last season.

He averaged 20.4 points and a career-high 9.6 rebounds while shooting 57.5 percent from the field, one of just three players to rank in the top 20 in all three categories.

Nowitzki, considered the favorite for the MVP this season, received 125 first-place votes and 634 points for his third consecutive First Team honor. In leading Dallas to a 67-15 record, he averaged 24.6 points, 8.9 rebounds and a career-high 3.4 assists.

The 7-foot superstar was the only player in the NBA to shoot 50 percent from the field (.502), 40 percent from 3-point range (.416) and 90 percent from the line (.904).

Duncan returns to the First Team after a one-year absence. He received 94 first-place votes and 573 points for his ninth First Team selection - the most of any active player - after averaging 20.0 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists.

Bryant was one vote shy of a unanimous choice and received 643 points for his fifth First Team nod. He led the NBA in scoring for the second straight season with 31.6 points and added 5.7 rebounds and 5.4 assists.

Bryant joined Wilt Chamberlain as the only players to score 50 or more points in four straight games when he tallied 65, 50, 60 and 50 points from March 16-23.

All five members of the First Team play in the Western Conference, marking the first time a conference has swept every spot since 2000, when the West also filled out the entire squad.

The Second Team was comprised of forwards LeBron James of Cleveland and Chris Bosh of Toronto, center Yao Ming of Houston and guards Gilbert Arenas of Washington and Tracy McGrady of Houston.

"This is my sixth time being voted to one of the All-NBA Teams and it's always an honor," McGrady said. "Our league is stacked with a lot of great players, and I'm grateful to be included."

James was a First Team selection a year ago. Yao received 38 first-place votes, two more than Stoudemire.

"I worked very hard this year to improve my game and it feels good to know that other people feel I've improved," Yao said. "Last year, I was voted to the Third Team, so I guess I'm getting better."

The Third Team was forwards Kevin Garnett of Minnesota and Carmelo Anthony of Denver, center Dwight Howard of Orlando and guards Dwyane Wade of Miami and Chauncey Billups of Detroit.

Garnett has been a First Team selection three times previously and was the only player chosen from a team that did not make the postseason.

It marked the first selections of any kind for Bosh, Anthony, Howard and Billups.

"This is truly a special honor for me," Bosh said. "It shows that my hard work has paid dividends and that I was surrounded by great teammates."

Annual mainstays not chosen this year included Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Ben Wallace.

Hampered by injuries this season, O'Neal last was not selected follwoing his 1992-93 rookie season. Traded during the season, Iverson had been chosen in seven of the last eight years. And Wallace, who changed teams in the offseason, had been picked the last five years.

Points were awarded on a 5-3-1 basis.