Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid finally got what he wanted — and deserved.
After three years of being a finalist, league voters finally named him the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, dethroning two-time reigning winner Nikola Jokic.
That’s why Los Angeles Lakers legend Magic Johnson took to Twitter to congratulate Embiid on such a remarkable achievement.
Congratulations to Joel Embiid for being named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player!! Well deserved and earned! @JoelEmbiid ??
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) May 3, 2023
Embiid had a long-withstanding campaign for his MVP case, constantly taking shots at Jokic and the media for not deeming him the clear frontrunner.
He led the league in scoring, but Jokic had better numbers in nearly all categories, which included standard and advanced stats.
Even so, it seemed like the voters couldn’t have gone wrong either way this season, as both candidates were deserving of the award.
However, it feels like the MVP award has become more narrative-based than stat-based in recent years.
The main issue is that there are no well-defined criteria when it comes to selecting an MVP.
Are we talking about the best player in the league or the best player on the top team in the league?
Perhaps it’s a combination of both or simply the player who has the biggest impact.
Whatever the case, Embiid should be ranked high in all of those categories, so he’s certainly a deserving winner of this award.
It’s also worth noting that a big man has won the award in three consecutive seasons.
This is somewhat ironic when considering how much people have talked about the league trending toward perimeter-oriented guards that can shoot.
Moreover, it’s the fifth year in a row that an international player has been crowned MVP, indicating that the game is more global than ever.
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