Sixers star Joel Embiid wins 2023 NBA MVP Award
Philadelphia 76 ers big man Joel Embiid was announced as the winner of the 2023 MVP Award on Tuesday. The superstar beat out Denver’ s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’ s Giannis Antetokounmpo, achieving the first MVP award of his career. Embiid finished second for the honor last season, behind Jokic, who previously was the reigning two-time winner for the award.
Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid was announced as the winner of the 2023 MVP Award on Tuesday. The superstar beat out Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, achieving the first MVP award of his career.
Embiid finished second for the honor last season, behind Jokic, who previously was the reigning two-time winner for the award. The former Jayhawks’ win marks the third straight year a center won the MVP award.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Embiid said. “A lot of hard work. I’ve been through a lot. I’m not just talking about basketball. I’m talking about my life. My story. Where I come from. How I got here and what it took for me to be here.”
Embiid received 73 first-place votes to grab the individual honor. Jokic finished in second place with 15 first-place votes and Antetokounmpo came in third with 12.
The 29-year-old wrapped up his best season of his career, averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game. Embiid led the league in scoring and ranked seventh overall in rebounds per game. His 33.1 points per game and 54.8% shooting from the field are career-highs for the star.
The superstar was mobbed by his teammates, as they screamed “MVP! MVP,” while he shed tears when announced as the winner on TNT’s television broadcast.
Embiid is currently nursing a knee injury that caused him to miss his team’s Game 1 road victory against the Boston Celtics. Game 2 is scheduled for Wednesday night and Embiid said “We shall see,” when asked about his status for the matchup.
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