Boston Celtics
Only a handful of players with as many All-NBA first-team selections as the Bucks star have ever been traded.
Giannis Antetokounmpo AP Photo/Aaron Gash
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The Celtics are, reportedly, a “wild card” team to watch in the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks.
Bucks co-owner Jimmy Haslam said Milwaukee plans to make a decision on Antetokounmpo’s future with the franchise before the NBA Draft, which starts on June 23.
This is a big decision for the Bucks that could have substantial long term impact. Only a handful of players of Antetokoumpo’s caliber have ever been traded.
Each year, there are 15 spots on the three All-NBA teams which are selected by a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters. The top-five make first-team All-NBA. All-NBA selections hold weight as far as how a player is viewed across the league. An All-NBA selection is part of the criteria for players to be eligible for Supermax contract extensions.
Antetokounmpo has seven first-team All-NBA selections. The list of players with that many is very short. He’s tied with Wilt Chamberlain for 6th all time.
Only five of the 15 players ahead of or tied with Antetokunmpo on that list have ever been traded (not counting Bob Cousy, who was traded to the Chicago Stags but never played a game for the franchise before it folded): LeBron James, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Oscar Robertson, Shaquille O’Neal and Chamberlain.
All five of those players won titles after being traded. All of them won titles at age 32 or older. Antetokounmpo will turn 32 in December.
So, as the Celtics ponder a potential move to land Antetokunmpo, here’s a look at every time such a player was traded and how it panned out.
LeBron James
The trade: Heat received LeBron James, Cavs received two first-round picks, two second-round picks, rights to a pick swap, and a trade exception.
How it panned out: James, who was an unrestricted free-agent in 2010, picked the Heat and the Cavs worked out a sign-and-trade deal to make it happen. Fueled by a core of James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, the Heat won back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013.
After four seasons with the Heat, James signed with the Cavaliers as a free-agent, where he led Cleveland to its only NBA title. He later signed with the Lakers and led them to a championship in 2020 before becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer.
Age at last championship: 35
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
The trade: Lakers received Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Wesley, Bucks received Elmore Smith, Brian Winters, Junior Bridgeman, and Dave Meyers.
How it panned out: Abdul-Jabbar spent 14 seasons with the Lakers and won five of his six championships with the Lakers.
He won three of his record six MVP awards during his time in Los Angeles. The 19-time All-Star retired as the league’s all-time scoring leader before James passed him.
The Bucks went 50 years in between titles after the trade. Abdul-Jabbar (1971) and Antetokounmpo (2021) are the only two Finals MVPs in Bucks history.
Age at last championship: 41
Oscar Robertson
The trade: Bucks received Oscar Robertson, Royals received Flynn Robinson and Charley Paulk
How it panned out: After a decade playing for the Cincinnati Royals, Robinson was traded to the Bucks in 1970.
Milwaukee had just drafted Abdul-Jabbar (then known as Lew Alcindor) the year before in 1969. In 1971, Robertson and Abdul-Jabbar led the Bucks to their first championship. Robertson finished fifth in the MVP voting, averaging 19.4 points 7.7 assists, and five rebounds en route to the second-to-last of his dozen All-Star appearances.
Robertson spent the final four seasons of his career with the Bucks before retiring in 1974.
Age at last championship: 32
Shaquille O’Neal
The trade: Shaq was traded three times:
-Heat received Shaquille O’Neal, Lakers received Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and a first round pick (2004)
-Suns received Shaquille O’Neal, Heat received Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks (2008)
-Cavs received Shaquille O’Neal, Suns received Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavovic, a conditional second-round pick, and cash considerations
How it panned out: O’Neal spent three full seasons in Miami before the 2008 trade to the Suns. He finished second in the MVP voting in 2005 and helped Dwyane Wade bring Miami its first title in 2006.
O’Neal made the last of his 15 All-Star appearances in 2009 with the Suns. Phoenix never made it past the first round while O’Neal was there.
The Cavs lost to the Celtics in the conference semifinals during O’Neal’s only season with the franchise in 2010. O’Neal signed with the Celtics the following year for his final NBA season in 2011.
Age at last championship: 33
Wilt Chamberlain
The trade: Lakers received Wilt Chamberlain, 76ers received Darrall Imhoff, Jerry Chambers, and Archie Clark
How it panned out: The Lakers traded for Chamberlain after he won three consecutive MVP awards.
Chamberlain made back-to-back appearances on the NBA All-Defensive first team in his final two seasons 1972 and 1973, and Chamberlain was top-five in the MVP voting both years.
The Lakers won a title in 1972. Chamberlain was named Finals MVP.
Age at last championship: 35
Players with seven or more First-Team All-NBA selections
- LeBron James (13)
- Kobe Bryant (11) and Karl Malone (11)
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Tim Duncan, Bob Cousy, Jerry West, Michael Jordan, Bob Pettit, Elgin Baylor (10)
- Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson (9)
- Shaquille O’Neal (8)
- Wilt Chamberlain (7), Giannis Antetokounmpo (7)
Note: Bryant, Duncan, West, Baylor, Pettit, Bird, and Johnson all spent their entire careers with one franchise. Malone, and Jordan played for multiple franchises, but signed as free-agents. Cousy was traded but the team folded and he never played a game for them.
Khari A. Thompson
Khari Thompson covers professional sports for Boston.com. Before joining the team in 2022, Khari covered college football for The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss.
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