Cameroonian born Joel Embiid, 29 of the Philadelphia, USA 76ers has been named the National Basketball Association NBA’s Most Valuable Player, MVP for the 2022-23 season.
EmbiId who finished second in the award behind Nikola Jokic in the past two seasons, was competing against Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver Nuggets star Jokic to claim the game’s top individual accolade on May 2nd.
He bagged the award with 73 out of the 100 available first-place votes. Jokic had 15 while Antetokounmpo rounded out the top three with 12 votes, ahead of Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
Reports reveal he had publicly campaigned and declared his intention to win the MVP for years now. Speaking to “ Inside the NBA press” after being named MVP he reacted saying “I don’t even know where to start. It’s been a long time coming, a lot of hard work. I’ve been through a lot, and I’m not just talking about basketball… It feels good. I don’t know what to say. It’s amazing.”
Embiid began his basketball career at 15 after playing volleyball and soccer back in Cameroon. He discovered basketball by watching videos on YouTube and dedicated himself to his craft, before he moved to the United States at 16 years and was spotted in a basketball camp.
Source: Cameroon News Agency