The NBA All-Defensive Team is an annual National Basketball Association (NBA) honor given since the 1968–69 NBA season to the best defensive players during the regular season. The All-Defensive Team is generally composed of ten players in two five-man lineups, a first and a second team. Voting is conducted by a panel of 123 writers and broadcasters.[1] Prior to the 2013–14 NBA season, voting was performed by the NBA head coaches, who were restricted from voting for players on their own team.[2] [3] The players each receive two points for each first team vote and one point for each second team vote. The top five players with the highest point total make the first team, with the next five making the second team. In the case of a tie at the fifth position of either team, the roster is expanded. If the first team consists of six players due to a tie, the second team will still consist of five players with the potential for more expansion in the event of additional ties. Ties have occurred several times, most recently in 2013 when Tyson Chandler and Joakim Noah tied in votes received.
Starting with the 2023–24 season, players must appear in at least 65 games (out of the normal 82-game schedule) to be eligible for most major regular-season playing awards and honors, including the All-Defensive Team. To receive credit for a game for purposes of award eligibility, a player must have been credited with at least 20 minutes played. However, two "near misses", in which the player appeared for 15 to 19 minutes, can be included in the 65-game count. Protections also exist for players who suffer season-ending injuries, who are eligible with 62 credited games, and those affected by what the CBA calls "bad faith circumstances".[4] [5] Also starting with the 2023–24 season, the All-Defensive Teams were no longer bound by position.
Tim Duncan holds the record for the most total selections to the All-Defensive Team with 15.[6] Kevin Garnett and Kobe Bryant follow with 12 total honors each, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has 11 total selections. Michael Jordan, Gary Payton, Garnett and Bryant share the record for most NBA All-Defensive first team selections with nine. Scottie Pippen, Bobby Jones, and Duncan made the first team eight times each. Walt Frazier, Dennis Rodman and Chris Paul made the All-Defensive first team seven times.[6] Victor Wembanyama was the first rookie to make the All-Defensive first team, doing it as a member of the San Antonio Spurs during the 2023-24 season.
When the coaches were responsible for voting, there were occasionally inconsistencies between the All-Defensive Team and the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award, which has been voted on by the media. On four occasions, the Defensive Player of the Year winner was not voted to the All-Defensive first team in the same year. Player of the Year winners Alvin Robertson (1986), Dikembe Mutombo (1995), Tyson Chandler (2012) and Marc Gasol (2013) were instead named to the second team.[7]
| ^ | Denotes players who are still active in the NBA | |
| Denotes players inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame | ||
| † | Not yet eligible for Hall of Fame consideration | |
| § | 1st time eligible for Hall of Fame in 2025[8] --> | |
| Player (X) | Denotes the number of times the player has been selected | |
| Player (in bold text) | Indicates the player who won the Defensive Player of the Year award in the same year |
The following table only lists players with at least nine total selections.
| Denotes players inducted to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame | ||
| ^ | Denotes players who are still active |
| Player | Total | First Team | Second Team | Defensive Player of the Year | Seasons | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 * | 15 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 19 | |
 * | 12 | 9 | 3 | 1 | 21 | |
| * | 12 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 20 | |
| * | 11 | 5 | 6 | 0 | 20 | |
| * | 10 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 17 | |
| * | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 17 | |
| * | 9 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 15 | |
| * | 9 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 12 | |
| ^ | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 19 | |
| * | 9 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 14 | |
 * | 9 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 18 | |
| * | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 19 |
Patrick Ewing* (tie)
Dikembe Mutombo*
