Embiid wins 1st MVP in landslide over Jokic, Giannis
Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player, the league announced on TNT on Tuesday.
Embiid garnered 73 first-place votes from a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, beating out reigning two-time winner Nikola Jokic. Milwaukee Bucks forward and former MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo finished third.
Embiid finished runner-up to Jokic in MVP voting each of the last two seasons.
| Player | Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | Total Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. Embiid | PHI | 73 | 25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 915 |
| N. Jokic | DEN | 15 | 52 | 32 | 0 | 0 | 674 |
| G. Antetokounmpo | MIL | 12 | 23 | 65 | 0 | 0 | 606 |
| J. Tatum | BOS | 0 | 0 | 1 | 89 | 8 | 280 |
| S. Gilgeous-Alexander | OKC | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 28 | 46 |
The Cameroonian center becomes the second African-born player to win the league's most coveted individual honor and the first Philadelphia 76ers player to accomplish the feat since Allen Iverson in 2000-01.
Embiid led the league in scoring for a second successive campaign (33.1 points per game) on 55-33-86 splits and was elite at the defensive end. He also finished seventh in the Association in rebounding (10.2 RPG) and averaged a career-best 4.2 assists across 66 outings.
The 29-year-old had 13 performances of 40-plus points this season - tied for third with Donovan Mitchell - and was one of just four players to record three or more 50-point outings. Only six players scored more points in the clutch than Embiid and only two registered more blocks. His plus-minus in clutch scenarios led all players.