Joel Embiid wins 2022-23 NBA MVP award / News - Basketnews.com

After coveting the MVP award for several years, the time has come for Joel Embiid to win the accolade for the first time in his career.

Credit: Getty Images via AFP Credit Getty Images via AFP

After playing at an MVP-worthy level for the last three seasons, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has officially been announced as the 2022-23 NBA MVP.

3-pointers this season

39%12,7Points made:12,7Accuracy:38,8%Place in standings:9Record max:21Record min:4Most made 3FGs:James HardenTeamNBAStatisticsSchedule

Embiid was up against fellow finalists Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic, the latter of whom looked like the favorite for most of the year until the narrative started faltering somewhat in the final weeks of the season.

Meanwhile, Embiid kept dominating, adding statement performances to his campaign (like his 52-point masterclass in a win over the Celtics on April 4), and the Sixers held firm with the third-best record in the league.

Jokic finished runner-up in the MVP voting, and Giannis was third. Embiid received 73 first-place votes. Jokic received 15 first-place votes, and Antetokounmpo got 12.

"It's been a long time coming," Embiid said. "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."

Embiid finished the season with truly dominant numbers. He recorded a career-high and league-leading 33.1 points per game to go along with 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists (tying his career-high), one steal, and 1.7 blocks (his highest average since 2018-19).

He was more efficient than ever, adding more career-highs in field goal percentage (54.8), made free throws (10 per game), and most importantly true shooting percentage at a whopping 65.5, a significant increase from his mark of 61.6 last season.

And as the first center to claim back-to-back scoring titles since Bob McAdoo had three straight from 1974-76, Embiid has added some extra history to his MVP case as well.

He led the NBA's third-ranked offense while protecting the paint as the backbone of their eighth-ranked defense.

Ultimately, after two years of narrowly missing out as the runner-up, everything came together this season to give Embiid the case he needed to finally get his hands on an MVP trophy.

Embiid is the first 76er to win league MVP since Allen Iverson in 2001. Julius Erving in 1981, Moses Malone in 1983, and Wilt Chamberlain from 1966-1968 are other 76ers to win NBA MVP awards.

This is the fifth consecutive year an international player has been MVP, extending the longest streak in NBA history. It's also the second time that international players finished 1-2-3 in MVP voting; the first time was last season.

Antetokounmpo won in 2019 and 2020. Jokic in 2021 and 2022.

On the other hand, LeBron James did not receive a vote for NBA MVP this season. This is the first time in his NBA career he didn't get a single vote for MVP.

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