Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers has been named the 2022-23 NBA MVP.

entertain2me
3 May, 2023

 


The NBA announced on Tuesday that Joel Embiid has won the 2022-23 MVP award. Embiid led the Philadelphia 76ers to the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, averaging 33.1 points per game, 11.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game while anchoring the NBA's No. 8 ranked regular-season defense. He is currently attempting to win his first championship, which would be the first for Philadelphia since it won it all in 1983.

Embiid has finished second in voting in each of the previous two seasons. He was defeated in both races by Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. This created a rivalry between the two, as Embiid appeared to take advantage of the situation.

For the majority of the season, Jokic was the betting favorite in what eventually became a three-man race between the two of them and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. Embiid, on the other hand, pulled away late as his individual numbers skyrocketed while Jokic's Nuggets struggled as a team. After Embiid scored 52 points on 20-of-25 shooting in the final week of the regular season against the Boston Celtics, 76ers coach Doc Rivers declared the MVP race "over."

He was proven correct. While the Vegas odds had remained relatively close up to that point, Embiid had become the overwhelming favorite at that point. He never relinquished that position and was named 2022-23 MVP today. Embiid joins Wilt Chamberlain as the fifth 76er to win the award.

Following Jokic's two wins, Embiid's ascension makes him the second consecutive center to win the award. Consider the two previous MVP awards Antetokounmpo received; the last five MVP awards have now gone to players widely regarded as big men. This is a significant departure from the previous decade or so of NBA history, as the previous 11 winners were all perimeter players.

For much of the past few seasons, he had publicly denied caring whether or not he won the award, but in an interview with Showtime's Rachel Nichols, he finally admitted that it did. "One thing I'll say is that anyone who tells you they don't care about it is lying," Embiid said. "That's the best award a basketball player can get, and it means a lot." If I were to win, it would validate all of my efforts. That's why I was interested in it: you put in so much effort, and if you get that recognition, it just proves that you didn't waste your time."

Embiid now has the award he desired, but he has a far greater prize to pursue. While Embiid called the MVP the best award a basketball player can receive, most would agree that the Finals MVP trophy is far superior. Embiid has a chance to do so in the coming months, and if he does, this season will go down as one of the best overall in NBA history. 
Next Post Previous Post
No Comment
Add Comment
comment url