Basketball pro Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers has been named the NBA’s most valuable player for the first time in his career. The Cameroonian-born center earned by far the most points from eligible journalists, relegating predecessors Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks to second and third place respectively.
Embiid reacted emotionally to the announcement and had tears in his eyes as he was applauded and cheered on by his teammates. “A lot of hard work. I’ve been through a lot. And I’m not just talking about basketball,” he said.
The 29-year-old is in the semifinals of the Eastern Conference with the 76ers. However, he missed the first game against the Boston Celtics because of knee problems. In the main round he scored an average of 33.1 points per game and thus won the league’s scorer title for the second season in a row.
Award again goes to non-Americans
Embiid’s honor marks the fifth year in a row that the MVP title, which will feature the Michael Jordan Trophy, has gone to an international player. Although Embiid is now a US citizen, the league still lists him as a Cameroonian. Jokic is Serb, Antetokounmpo Greek. Both had won the election two years in a row.
Before Antetokounmpo’s first pick in 2019, only three non-Americans had won the NBA Main Round Most Valuable Player pick: Nigeria’s Hakeem Olajuwon as a pro with the Houston Rockets in 1994, and Steve Nash of South Africa for his performances with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006 and Würzburg’s Dirk Nowitzki, who plays for the Dallas Mavericks, in 2007. The last native American was Embiid’s current teammate James Harden, who was recognized as a professional by the Houston Rockets in 2018.
