Joel Embiid, center for the Philadelphia 76ers, has won the 2022-23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player award. Embiid’s journey towards becoming an NBA MVP began when he was a soccer prospect in Africa who only started playing basketball as a teenager. Despite struggling with injuries, Embiid became a generational talent and the face of the 76ers’ rebuilding effort known as “The Process.” After campaigning for the award for years, Embiid beat out Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo to win the NBA MVP trophy with 73 first-place votes.
Embiid, who averaged 33.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game, is the first 76er to win the league MVP since Allen Iverson in 2001. However, Embiid has been sidelined with a sprained right knee that caused him to miss one game of the playoff sweep against Brooklyn and the opening game of the Eastern Conference semifinals against Boston.
