It was the moment he’s been waiting for two season and when it finally came, a flurry of emotions flowed from Philadelphia Joel Embiid.
The Philadelphia 76ers center was named 2022-23 KIA NBA MVP award winner during a TNT presentation on Tuesday night before tipoff of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the New York Knicks and Miami Heat. Embiid and his teammate were together in Boston, where the team was preparing to play Boston in Game 2 of their second-round series. The moment the announcement was made, cheers went up and tears flowed.
Trust the process:76ers center Joel Embiid named 2022-23 NBA MVP, edging out Jokić, Giannis
Sixers react as announcement is made
Embiid’s MVP season
After finishing as runner up in back-to-back seasons, the Embiid received 73 first-place votes while Jokic and Antetokounmpo received 15 and 12, respectively.
The 29-year-old from Yaoundé, Cameroon, averaged 33.1 points to win his second straight scoring title, averaged 10.2 rebounds and tied a career high with 4.2 assists per game.
76ers’ reactions to Embiid
After the initial celebration, there were a number of reactions to Embiid’s selection including teammate James Harden to former Phillies first baseman John Kruk:
James Harden, 76ers guard
Daryl Morey, 76ers president
John Kruk, former Philadelphia Phillies first baseman
Sam Hinkie, former 76ers president
Kendrick Perkins, former NBA player
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks guard
Embiid’s status for Game 2
Philadelphia was able to win the opening game of its series against the Celtics, 119-115, without All-Star Joel Embiid, who was sidelined with a sprained right knee.
Embiid went through some light work on the court for the second straight day Tuesday, but he was listed as doubtful on the 76ers’ initial injury report.
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The plan was for him to do some running on his injured knee and see how it responds.
“The fact that he’s doing that is a step forward for sure,” coach Doc Rivers said. “It’s just health-based. If he can play, he can play. If he can’t, he can’t. If it’s 50-50, we would probably err on the other side (and not play him) because that’s what we’ve done all year. We’re not going to take any chances with him.”
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
