It was definitely one of the best days of Joel Embiid’s life.
In a recorded video that was scattered around the social media circle of the league, Embiid can’t contain that burst of emotion as he was named by the NBA as their Most Valuable Player for the 2022-23 season on Tuesday.
“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. I’m talking about everything as a lot. My story, where I came from, I got here, and what it took me from here,” said Embiid in the Inside The NBA interview.
“It feels good. I don’t know what to say [more]. It was amazing.”
With 73 total first-place votes that lifted his 915 total points, Embiid outran Nikola Jokic (674 points) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (606 points) in the race for the coveted award.
He averaged 33.1 points on 54.8 percent shooting to go with 10.2 boards and 4.2 assists, spearheading the Sixers for a third-place finish atop of the Eastern Conference standings this season. He became the first league MVP since Moses Malone back in 1981-82 to tally 30 points, and 10 boards on 50 percent efficiency (h/t ESPN Stats & Info).
Embiid also joins an elite group that has won an MVP as a 76er in the franchise’s history, putting himself next to Wilt Chamberlain, Julius Erving, Malone, and Allen Iverson.
With an MVP award already marked as “accomplished” in his checklist after two-straight years of shortcomings, Embiid is now focusing himself on a much more lucrative prize – the NBA title. As such, even with him sitting out due to a knee injury, Philadelphia managed to claw an early 1-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in their Eastern Conference Semis opener last Monday.
