Philadelphia 76ers Embiid wins first MVP award
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[May 03, 2023]
(Reuters) - Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has won the
NBA's Most Valuable Player award for the first time, the league
announced on Tuesday.
Embiid was chosen over Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, to whom he
lost the award in the past two seasons, and Milwaukee Bucks forward
Giannis Antetokounmpo, who won back-to-back awards in 2019 and 2020. |
![](../images/050323PIX/sports63.jpg)
January 31, 2019; Oakland, CA, USA;
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) shoots the basketball against
the Golden State Warriors during the second half at Oracle Arena.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports/File Photo |
The Cameroonian big man received 73 first-place
votes from a panel of 100 broadcasters and journalists, marking
the fifth consecutive win for an international player.
The 29-year-old is only the second African player to become MVP
after Nigerian-American Hakeem Olajuwon from the Houston Rockets
in the 1993-94 season.
The third overall 2014 draft pick led the league in scoring for
a second straight year, averaging a career-high 33.1 points per
game on 54.8% shooting from the field, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2
assists in addition to 66 three-pointers.
Embiid suffered a lateral collateral ligament sprain in his
right knee during the third game of the first-round series
against the Brooklyn Nets, forcing him to miss the final game of
the 76ers' 4-0 series win and their Monday win in the first game
of the Eastern Conference semi-finals victory the Boston
Celtics.
The MVP trophy was renamed this season after Michael Jordan,
widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time.
(Reporting by Janina Nuno Rios in Mexico City. Editing by Gerry
Doyle)
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