Nikola Jokic vs. Joel Embiid: Sixers fans, NBA world react to 2022 MVP award
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic bested Embiiid for the second straight year.
What seemed like a foregone conclusion based on an informal tabulation of leaked votes became semi-official on Monday morning when ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Denver’s Nikola Jokic — and not Sixers center Joel Embiid — would win the NBA’s MVP award for the second year in a row.
There were some now erroneous reports that Embiid was actually going to be presented with the award over the weekend but that turned out to be false as Jokic will reportedly again be handed the hardware at some point over the next week. The only thing we know for sure is that it won’t be presented before a Nuggets playoff game — they were eliminated in the first round by the Warriors in five games. The other finalist was Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, but it was largely considered to be a two-man race between Jokic and Embiid.
» READ MORE: Report: Denver’s Nikola Jokić tops Sixers’ Joel Embiid to win second straight NBA MVP
The reaction among Philly fans has been, well, as expected. And their belief that Embiid should win the award was only bolstered by seeing how lost the team looked during their two games against the Heat without him (not to mention how much better they looked in Games 3-4 when he returned to the court).
A two-way force who led the league in scoring while anchoring his team’s defense, Embiid played in a career high in games, freeing him of the one major complaints most voters had in previous years: his availability. And he was dominant, averaging 30.6 points (on 49.9 FG%), 11.7 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks.
Still, despite turning in an even more impressive season than he did a year earlier — when he was runner-up to Jokic — Embiid fell short of winning the league’s highest individual honor yet again. Of course, he can always get some redemption by leading his team to a title and winning the NBA Finals MVP.
» READ MORE: Marcus Hayes: Joel Embiid gets robbed of NBA MVP — again. He’s never going to win.
As for Philly fans (and those around the basketball world who feel the Sixers big man was snubbed), they’re not patient enough to wait it out and see if Embiid gets the last laugh. They, unsurprisingly, decided to let their disappointment be known almost immediately.
» READ MORE: After a legendary return, Joel Embiid has given the Sixers new life in a series they can win