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Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid finally put two years of coming short to Nikola Jokic in the NBA MVP race to win the award for the 2022-23 season eventually.
Philadelphia 76ers centre Joel Embiid finally put two years of coming short to Nikola Jokic in the NBA MVP race to win the award for the 2022-23 season eventually.
The script was flipped this time as he finished ahead of the Nuggets star, Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward, Giannis Antetokounmpo, to take home the league's top individual prize.
The MVP race was at its closest in years for much of the season, with a three-horse sprint to the finish expected.
Instead, however, it was a blowout as he gathered 73 out of the 100 available votes for first place.
Jokic had 15 first-place votes, while Antetokounmpo captured 12 votes.
"I don't even know where to start," Embiid said during an interview on "Inside the NBA" after winning the award. "It's been a long time coming, a lot of hard work. I've been through a lot, and I'm not just talking about basketball. It feels good. I don't know what to say. It's amazing."
From Yaounde, Cameroon, the 29-year-old had his best season so far in his career, leading the league in scoring for a second year running while also improving his efficiency.
Averages of 33.1 points per game, 10.2 rebounds per game, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game were enough to secure him the prestigious prize.
Overlooked for the main prize in recent years, this did not stop the "process" from continuously grinding, and it shows a testament to his hard work despite overcoming challenges in the past.
The third overall pick in the 2014 NBA draft, Embiid missed his first two full seasons because of injuries, and they were concerned that he would eventually wash out from the league.
He has soon gone on to become a six-time all-star and perennial All-NBA player and wins the award for the first time since it was renamed after Micheal Jordan as part of an overhaul of league awards.
The win for Embiid makes history in its own right after it is the third season in a row that a centre has won the award, with Jokic winning the past two seasons.
It is also the fifth consecutive year an international player has won the MVP award. Dirk Nowitzki (2006-2007), Steve Nash (2005-06) and Hakeem Olajuwon( 1993- 94) are the only international players to have won it before, signalling how global the game has grown since the turn o the millennium.
Embiid has had to sit out the last two weeks of action as he is sidelined with a sprained lateral collateral ligament in his knee that he suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Brooklyn Nets.
He watched James Harden carry the gauntlet in the conference semi-final game one win against the Bolton Celtics at the TD Garden.
"We shall see", said Embiid in response to whether he would be ready for game two on Wednesday.
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