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Joel Embiid has just been announced the Kia MVP for the 2022-23 NBA season, after displaying a historic performance throughout his entire campaign. With that said, we'll take a look at how well he has performed compared to the top big men who have won the MVP in the past.
Throughout the history of the Philadelphia 76ers, Embiid is just the third center in franchise history to win the historic award. The other big men who donned the Sixers uniform to win the MVP were Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain. Both big men played legendary basketball and are pillars of the league.
When Malone won the MVP in the 1982-83 season, he topped it off by winning a championship against the LA Lakers. Chamberlain, on the other hand, had a three-year stint where he won the MVP. From 1956 to 1968, Wilt dominated the league by winning prestigious awards and winning the title throughout the process.
Other big men like Hakeem Olajuwon and Shaquille O'Neal had similar seasons where they won MVPs and titles in the same season. Olajuwon did it in the 1993-94 season, while O'Neal did it in 1999-00 with the Lakers.
Other centers like Nikola Jokic and David Robinson had historic seasons when they won the MVP award. However, they weren't able to win the Larry O'Brien trophy this season when they were awarded the Most Valuable Player award. Still, that has given them a legacy to hold on to.
Big things could come Embiid's way as the Sixers are having an impressive postseason run. Without him, Philly was able to snatch a win against the Boston Celtics in Game 1, thanks to James Harden's 45-point performance. The six-time All-Star could make a return to the lineup in Game 2 and take advantage of their 1-0 lead.
You might also be interested in reading this: Sixers' Joel Embiid wins his first ever NBA MVP award
Joel Embiid reflects on finally winning the MVP award
After being named KIA MVP, Joel Embiid had a chance to voice out his thoughts on winning it. Ernie Johnson, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley had a chance to interview the new MVP shortly after the announcement.
"I don't even know where to start. It's been a long time coming, a lot of hardwork, I've been through a lot. I'm not just talking about basketball," Embiid said when asked by Johnson about what the award means to him. "I'm talking about everything as of life. My story, where I come from and I got here and what it took for me to be here. It feels good. I don't know what to say, it's amazing."
Embiid even showed his appreciation to O'Neal and Barkley.
"You guys were all on me about, I gotta be dominant. To this day, I still remember that conversation and that helped a lot and that changed a lot when it came to the way I went about my business, so thank you."
Lastly, Joel Embiid showed love to his teammates.
"First of all, I thank all of them because I couldn't have done it without them. We've been winning a lot, the work that we put in, to trust me and putting me in position to succeed has been amazing. They've given up a lot for me, so I'm just thankful for these guys... We goin' to celebrate for 5 minutes and then we goin' back to business."
