After finishing as runner-up the past two seasons, 76ers star center Joel Embiid was named the MVP of the 2022–23 season Tuesday night. The announcement was made on Inside the NBA.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Embiid said on Inside the NBA. “A lot of hard work. I’ve been through a lot. … It feels good. I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing.”
Nuggets center Nikola Jokić has won the coveted award the previous two seasons, with Embiid placing a close second in voting both times. But the 29-year-old Embiid wouldn’t be denied this time around. He finished the season averaging 33.1 points per game to lead the league in scoring, and he added 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game in his 66 appearances.
your 2022-23 @Kia NBA MVP: @JoelEmbiid 🏆#KiaMVP pic.twitter.com/DNqnd5g9EY
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) May 2, 2023
Embiid received 73 of 100 first-place votes. Jokić received 15 first-place votes, and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo received the remaining 12.
Embiid also shot a career-high 55% from the field to lead Philadelphia to a 54–28 record and the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. He’s currently dealing with a knee injury suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Nets and hasn’t played since April 20, missing the series-clinching Game 4 over Brooklyn and Game 1 against the Celtics on Monday.
Embiid is the first 76ers player to be named MVP since Allen Iverson won it back in 2001.
MVP 🗣️ MVP 🗣️
— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2023
Joel Embiid's 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player mixtape 📹#NBAAwards | #KiaMVP | @Kia pic.twitter.com/locYwRBbRN
