By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
It’s time to give Joel Embiid the flowers he deserves.
After several years of trusting the process with the Philadelphia 76ers, the dominant superstar center is now the NBA’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) announced last May 3, 2023.
The unique basketball talent out of Cameroon finished first in the NBA MVP voting, besting former award winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Embiid garnered a total of 73 first-place votes while Jokic settled for second place with 15, and Antetokounmpo with 12.
It was a stellar regular season for the franchise player of Philadelphia after also winning the NBA scoring title for the second time in his young career.
The 29-year-old big man averaged an insane stat line of 33.1 points per game alongside 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists before the NBA Playoffs began.
Embiid’s consistent performance every night not only helped him win the MVP and the scoring title but also led the 76ers to a semifinal playoff ticket after sweeping the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the Eastern Conference.
Despite injuring his knee that caused his absence during their Game 1 win against the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia and its medical team announced that Embiid might be back in the middle of the series to finally help the franchise enter the Eastern Conference finals.
“It’s been a long time coming. 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,” said Embiid.
The whole Philadelphia team also gave their praises to their main gunner as they watched the NBA MVP announcement in Boston.
After Embiid’s name got called, his teammates, specifically James Harden, immediately went to him and hugged him from the back.
Seconds after the moment, Embiid went emotional in front of his team and suddenly burst into tears while holding his head.
