Joel Embiid (29, Philadelphia, photo) was chosen as the MVP for the first time in his life, letting go of the sadness of being second in the NBA for the past two seasons.
The NBA Secretariat announced on the 3rd that Embiid was selected as the MVP for the 2022-2023 season. Embiid received 915 points in a media poll consisting of 100 American and Canadian sports reporters and broadcasters covering the NBA. The MVP is determined by adding up the points awarded differently to each of the five players preferred by the voting team. Embiid received the first place vote with 10 points awarded to 73 members of the voting group, comfortably beating Nicola Jokic (Denver, 674 points) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee, 606 points), who challenged for three consecutive MVPs, and rose to first place.
Embiid, seven years into his pro debut, had his best season this season, averaging 33.1 points (1st), 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game after appearing in 66 of 82 games. He also contributed to the defense with 1.0 steals and 1.7 blocked shots per game.
Embiid also ranked first in scoring (30.6 points) in the regular league last season, becoming the first center in 22 years to become the top scorer after Shaquille O’Neal in the 1999-2000 season. Despite his formidable scoring prowess, his past two seasons have been lost to finished center Jo Kichi, who has been called the best ‘triple double’ machine among active players.
Embiid shed tears after confirming that he had won the MVP award that day. His teammates, including James Harden, celebrated by chanting “MVP.” In an interview on TNT, Embiid said, “It has been a long journey. There were a lot of really hard things. I’ve been through a lot not only in basketball but also in my life.” “I feel good, but I don’t know what to say. It’s really amazing,” he said.
Embiid, who was selected by Philadelphia with the third overall pick in the 2014 rookie draft, missed two seasons due to injury and debuted in the 2016-2017 season. Since then, he has built a career such as being an All-Star 6 times and a scorer 2 times, but there is no mourning suit.
Following Greek-born Antetokounmpo in 2019, the NBA handed over the MVP trophy to players born outside the United States for the fifth consecutive year until this year. Born in Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon, Embiid became the first African to win the MVP award 29 years after Hakim Olajuwon (Nigeria) in 1994. Embiid acquired French and American citizenship last year.온라인카지노
Embiid played volleyball and soccer as a child in his home country. It wasn’t until he was 15 that he caught a basketball. In his teens, he was already over two meters tall, but he turned his attention to basketball after a friend told him that few tall footballers were successful. He played basketball modeled after center Olajuwon, who was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame.
At the age of 16, his life changed in earnest when he was invited to a basketball camp in Yaounde run by Cameroonian NBA player Luc Mba Aute. Recognizing Embiid’s talent, Mba Amute persuaded Embiid’s parents to move to Florida, USA, and helped enroll Embiid at Montverde Academy, one of the country’s premier high school athlete development programs. Embiid played 28 games at the University of Kansas before making it to the NBA.