NBA
Philadelphia 76ers Star Joel Embiid Named 2022-23 NBA MVP
May 2, 2023, 5:03 PM | Updated: 5:04 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – The NBA announced that Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has won the league’s Most Valuable Player award for the 2022-23 season.
The league announced Embiid as the Kia MVP on Tuesday, May 2.
It’s Embiid’s first time winning the honor. The Sixers star received more votes than Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks.
During the regular season, Embiid averaged 33.1 points per game to lead all NBA players. He shot 54.8 percent from the field, including 33.0 percent on three-pointers. Embiid also recorded an average of 10.2 rebounds (10th in the NBA), 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks (eighth in the NBA), and 1.0 steals in 34.6 minutes per contest. He played in 66 regular season games.
The 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player is… Joel Embiid!#NBAAwards | #KiaMVP | @Kia pic.twitter.com/Ztj5HCzfuL
— NBA (@NBA) May 2, 2023
Embiid was awarded the Michael Jordan MVP trophy following the NBA’s announcement.
“I’m incredibly honored to have created the NBA’s MVP trophy in partnership with Michael Jordan,” Mark Smith, retired VP of Innovation Special Projects at Nike, Inc., and Jordan Brand designer said when the league announced the new MVP trophy in 2022. “Sculpting Michael’s vision of his own pursuit of athletic achievement into this award has been the opportunity and challenge of a lifetime. As we worked together on this project, it was very important to Michael that the figure not be a likeness of him, but instead that the recipient should be able to see himself in the award. For Michael, naming the award in his honor was recognition enough.”
The Michael Jordan Trophy – Awarded to the Kia NBA Most Valuable Player
The league’s MVP will now be awarded The Michael Jordan Trophy, bearing the name of the NBA legend widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. During his career, Jordan was MVP five times. pic.twitter.com/cWvKXSeQxN
— NBA Communications (@NBAPR) December 13, 2022
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Embiid scored a career-high 59 points in Philadelphi’as 105-98 win over the Utah Jazz on November 13, 2022.
RELATED: Was 59 Point Embiid Performance Best Ever By Jazz Opponent?
The center led the 76ers to a record season record of 54-28. Philadelphia earned the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Sixers swept the Brooklyn Nets in four games to advance from the first round. Philadelphia currently owns a 1-0 lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Embiid was originally selected by the Sixers as the No. 3 overall pick out of Kansas in the 2014 NBA Draft. During his professional career, the Cameroon native has been a six-time NBA All-Star, a four-time member of the All-NBA Second Team, a three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team honoree, and a two-time NBA scoring champion.
