Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid named NBA Most Valuable Player
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The 76ers’ Joel Embiid has been named NBA Most Valuable Players for the first time in his career.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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LOS ANGELES – Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was named the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Most Valuable Player on Tuesday, comfortably winning a ballot ahead of the Denver Nuggets’ two-time winner Nikola Jokic.
The Sixers’ big man from Cameroon received 73 of 100 first-place votes from a panel of broadcasters and journalists and received 915 total points.
The Serb placed second with 15 first-place votes and 674 points. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks received the other 12 first-place votes and had 606 total points.
Embiid, 29, is the second player from Africa to win the prestigious award, joining Hakeem Olajuwon (1993-94). He is also the first 76ers player to take home MVP honours since Allen Iverson in 2000-01.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Embiid told TNT’s NBA Tip-Off in a remote video call from Boston, where the 76ers defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semi-final series on Monday.
“A lot of hard work. You know, I’ve been through a lot and I’m not just talking about basketball. I’m talking about everything in life, my story and where I come from... and what it took for me to be here.”
Embiid led the league in scoring for the second straight year, posting a career-high 33.1 points per game to go with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks. He shot a career-high 54.8 per cent from the field, thanks to a 58.7 per cent success rate from inside the arc. Embiid added 66 three-pointers and 66 steals.
An All-Star every season since 2017-18, Embiid made the All-NBA second teams in 2017-18, 2018-19, 2020-21 and 2021-22.
The 76ers managed to beat the Celtics without Embiid available in Game 1 due to a knee injury. The injury is widely reported to be a Grade 1 lateral collateral ligament sprain, and Sixers coach Doc Rivers told reporters that he was doubtful for Game 2 on Wednesday.
When asked if he would take the court for Game 2, Embiid said: “We shall see.”
The 29-year-old had his teammates sitting behind him when he appeared on the broadcast.
“I thank all of them because I couldn’t have done it without them,” he said. “Obviously, we’ve been winning a lot and the work that they put in to trust me, and put me in positions to succeed, has been amazing and they’ve given up a lot for me.
“We’re going to celebrate for five minutes and then we’re going back to business. We’ve got a series to win... I’ll be back and we’ve got more work to do.”
Antetokounmpo won back-to-back MVP awards in 2019 and 2020 and Jokic was going for his third consecutive MVP.
Jayson Tatum of the Celtics collected 89 fourth-place votes and one third-place vote to finish fourth at 280 points. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder (46 points) rounded out the top five. For the first time in his career, LeBron James, 38, did not receive a single vote for MVP. REUTERS, AFP
