Arenas was ranked seventh in the NBA with 25.5 points per game. NBAE/Getty Images

“This is very exciting,” said Arenas. “To be selected and mentioned in the same breath with these outstanding players is something that I couldn’t have imagined in my wildest dreams. This shows that hard work pays off.”

“When you have team success, good things happen to everybody,” continued Arenas. “This honor is a reflection of all of the hard work put in by my teammates and coaches this season. We’ve been able to achieve a great deal as a team and as individuals because of our determination and dedication.”

In his fourth professional season out of the University of Arizona, Arenas helped guide the Wizards to their best season in 26 years and their first Playoff appearance since the 1996-97 campaign. Arenas started 80 games at point guard for Washington during the regular season and was the leading scorer on the league’s sixth highest scoring team.

“We’re happy for Gilbert and proud of the player and leader that he has become,” said Washington Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld. “Gilbert is a tremendous competitor and played at an elite level. This is a great honor for him and it’s a testament to what the team accomplished this season.”

“I’m extremely proud of Gilbert and he is well deserving of this honor,” said Wizards Head Coach Eddie Jordan. “Gilbert grew into the ultimate leader for us this season. He is such a competitor and he took it upon himself to really be a leader and an All-Star for us this year. Gilbert found a way to take advantage of his explosive scoring ability, and yet, when we asked him to initiate our offense and get his teammates involved, he was able to do that for us as well. He blossomed into one of the elite guards in the game, and I think it’s only the beginning for him.”

Arenas finished among the Top Ten in the NBA in points per game (25.5 – 7th), minutes per game (40.9 – 3rd), three-point field goals made (205 – 5th), total steals (139 – 5th) and free throws made (521 – 8th) during the 2004-05 season, and his 25 thirty-plus point games marked the fifth highest total in the NBA. Arenas scored a career-high 44 points versus Philadelphia on April 9, 2005, and only two players in the league scored at least 40 points more times this season than Arenas (6).

The voting panel for the All-NBA Teams consisted of 124 writers and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada who regularly cover the NBA. The media voted for All-NBA First, Second and Third Teams by position with points awarded on a 5-3-1 basis. Arenas received one First Team vote and 104 points overall.

Arenas’ teammate, Antawn Jamison finished with five points in the voting while fellow Wizards guard Larry Hughes received one Third Team vote. Prior to Arenas, the last Wizards player to be named to an All-NBA team was Rod Strickland in 1997-98.

Arenas was one of 15 players league wide to be selected to one of the three All-NBA teams. Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki comprise the First Team while the All-NBA Second Team consists of Ray Allen, Kevin Garnett, LeBron James, Amaré Stoudemire and Dwyane Wade.