By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid won the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award for the 2022-23 season, the league announced, finally claiming the prestigious trophy after finishing second the past two seasons.
Embiid prevailed over Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo for the league’s top individual honor and ultimately he did with a solid difference.
Embiid got 73 of the 100 available first-place votes (915 total). Jokic had 15 first-place votes (674 total), while Antetokounmpo captured 12 (606).
“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.”
Embiid for years didn’t hide his wish to the MVP trophy for years. The third overall pick of the 2014 draft had a career year, leading the NBA in scoring for a second straight season while averaging career highs of 33.1 points and 54.8% shooting, to go along with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game.
The win for Embiid marks the third straight season a center has claimed the award, with Jokic winning the past two seasons. It is the fifth consecutive year for an international player dating back to Antetokounmpo’s victories in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. Before the past five years, the only international players to win the MVP were Hakeem Olajuwon in 1993-94, Steve Nash (2005-06) and Dirk Nowitzki in (2006-07).