PHILADELPHIA, PA – APRIL 17: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
Joel Embiid was named NBA MVP on Tuesday night, beating out Nikola Jokic and stopping a three-peat, which had NBA Twitter ready with memes and reactions.
Nikola Jokic was vying for his third straight NBA MVP trophy, but Joel Embiid had other plans. On Tuesday night, it was made official that the Philadelphia 76ers big man was the spoiler to the Nuggets star’s three-peat bid as Embiid was named league MVP for the first time in his career.
Embiid had been the runner-up to Jokic in each of the past two years in the MVP race but wholly earned the award in the 2022-23 season, particularly in the highly contested race that truly came down to the wire between him, Jokic and, at least for some, Giannis Antetokounmpo.
The 29-year-old big man had a career year with monster numbers for the Sixers, averaging 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game while converting on 54.8% of his field goal attempts for the season.
“It’s been a long time coming,” Embiid said after being named MVP on the TNT broadcast.
Joel Embiid wins NBA MVP: Best memes and tweets from NBA Twitter
It definitely had been a long time coming for Embiid given his talent. And NBA Twitter celebrated in the best way it knows how — with an elite collection of memes and tweets in reaction to the news that the 76ers star is now a one-time MVP winner.
But maybe the best reaction to the news came from the Sixers themselves with this iconic photo and edit.
There are obviously going to be people who still argue that Jokic or Giannis deserved it, but that speaks to the tight race we saw, not to Embiid being undeserving.
More importantly, though, Embiid and Philly are in a great spot after the big man was forced to miss Game 1 of the East semifinals against the Celtics as James Harden led a major upset on the road to give the 76ers a 1-0 lead as Embiid tries to get back on the floor.