What did Joel Embiid say after winning 2023 NBA MVP award?

The league recently awarded Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers the 2023 NBA MVP after performing stellarly in the 2022-23 season. After being given the award, the six-time All-Star shared words of encouragement with his fellow African brothers who dream about making it big in the league.

NBA Today gave Embiid a chance to share his story shortly after winning the MVP. With that, he had this to say:

"I hope that people back home, in Africa in general, and the whole world, can kinda see it as something that they can also believe and understand that anything's really possible."

"For us, Africans, we don't have a lot of these opportunities. The probablity of us making it here and let alone being an MVP is probably negative zero. But improbable doesn't mean impossible."

The Sixers' big man won the prestigious award after getting 73 first-place votes, 25 second-place votes and two third-place votes. Embiid also led his team to a 54-28 record to finish the 2022-23 campaign.

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James Harden gifts Joel Embiid a Rolex watch for winning the MVP

Joel Embiid is the happiest man in the NBA right now. After his team eliminated the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4 during the first-round of the playoffs, their winning momentum carried over in Game 1 against the Boston Celtics. They surprised the league by winning their first game against the Celtics without Joel Embiid.

The winning momentum didn't stop there as the league announced that the Cameroonian bigman would win the MVP award. Embiid accepted the award with his teammates as they rested after winning in Game 1. James Harden, who won an MVP back in 2018, showed how proud he is of his All-Star teammate.

Prior to Game 2 against Boston, Harden surprised the four-time All-NBA by giving him a customized Rolex watch. The watch featured the engraved caption "23 MVP" on the back. According to Embiid, it was his first ever Rolex, which added a bit of sentimental value as he received it during a significant time in his career.

"My first Rolex!" Embiid happily said.

"It's my first watch and my first Rolex. All I know is that it's gold and that in the back of it, you got the '2023 MVP.' I don't know what to say. When he gave it to me, I was just amazed, I'm just so thankful."

Emiid will be available to play tonight ahead of Game 2 of the best-of-seven series against the Celtics. He wasn't able to play in Game 1 due to a sprained knee.