- Joel Embiid wins the 2023 NBA MVP for the first time in his career after opening the season with the third best odds.
- The Sixers’ center had finished as the runner-up behind Nikola Jokic the last two years.
- Embiid is the first 76ers player to win the NBA MVP award since Allen Iverson in 2001.
In what was another thrilling MVP race as Joel Embiid pulled away from the Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic to become the fifth 76er to win the NBA MVP award.
With 73 first-place votes and 915 points, Embiid ultimately had a commanding lead on Jokic in the end. Jokic is coming off back-to-back regular season MVP awards.
He won in 2020-21 and then followed up last season to add to his growing mantle of accomplishments. However, Jokic was unable to complete the hat trick with three straight nods.
The Serbian had another fantastic campaign for the Nuggets. He had an MVP-worthy effort this season. Nonetheless, Embiid had a campaign that will go down as one of the best seasons a center has ever had in the NBA.
This is the first time that a center has won the NBA MVP award in three straight seasons since 1980. There were 16 centers from 1965 to 1980 that won MVP honors in the NBA. The game began to open up for guards and forwards around the mid-1980s with Larry Bird.
76ers were hyped for Joel Embiid winning the MVP award 🙌
What a moment. ❤️
(via @sixers)pic.twitter.com/VSg7woEBlP
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 2, 2023
Antetokounmpo Opening Favorite To Win 2022-23 NBA MVP
Oddsmakers had an idea that Jokic and Embiid were going to be competitive for the MVP award this season. However, neither Jokic nor Embiid had the best odds to win the top individual honor in the NBA.
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo was the betting favorite to win the regular season MVP. Last April, Antetokounmpo was favored to win the award with +400 odds.
In fact, Jokic and Embiid didn’t even have the second-best odds, according to oddsmakers. Luka Doncic was the runner-up with +550 odds. Embiid had the third-best odds to win the NBA MVP at +650.
According to BetOnline, Embiid had MVP odds as high as +1500 during the regular season. Any bettors that were able to get Embiid at +1500 odds grabbed some serious value at the time.
The public was not particularly high on Jokic’s chances of a three-peat as the MVP going into this season. Nonetheless, Jokic nearly became the first player since Larry Bird in 1986 to win three consecutive MVPs.
By the end of the regular season, Embiid was in the clear with -1000 odds. There was some Jokic money that prevented Embiid from going higher than -1000. However, Embiid separated himself from the rest of the MVP contenders in April.
Congratulations to Joel Embiid MVP bettors! #TrustTheProcess
After finishing 2nd to Nikola Jokic in two straight seasons, Embiid bettors cashed in as high as +1500 this season 🤑 pic.twitter.com/nUUoImjExk
— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) May 2, 2023
Embiid Repeats As Scoring Leader
For the first time since Bob McAdoo in the mid-1970s, a center has won consecutive scoring titles. Embiid averaged 33.1 points per game after averaging a career-high 30.6 points a season ago.
Additionally, the native of Cameroon recorded a new career-high with a 54.8% field goal percentage. Small tweaks to the offense allowed Embiid to get better looks at the rim.
There were several MVP moments for Embiid during the 2022-23 campaign. On January 28, 2023, his 47-point effort in a comeback to erase a 73-58 deficit against Jokic and the Nuggets was a hallmark of this MVP season.
Earlier this year, on November 15, 2022, Embiid was the first player in NBA history to notch 50 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 blocks in a game against the Utah Jazz.
If you want a more recent performance, Embiid joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain might have been the MVP clincher.
On April 5, 2023, Embiid’s 52-point effort matched Abdul-Jabbar and Chamberlain as the only centers to score more than 50 points three times in a season.
Only ten players have won the regular season MVP, NBA Finals MVP, and NBA Championship in the same season.
Sprained LCL To Right Knee Sidelines Embiid
In the first round of the NBA Playoffs, Embiid suffered a sprained LCL against the Brooklyn Nets. Embiid was unavailable in Game 4 of the series, but the 76ers still swept the Nets in a 96-88 win.
The 29-year-old MVP remained out for the series opener against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. However, it didn’t matter, as the 76ers nabbed a huge upset win by a score of 119-115.
Nikola Jokic may not win regular season MVP this year…but what about Finals MVP? pic.twitter.com/CEBdin3bHT
— BetOnline.ag (@betonline_ag) May 2, 2023
Embiid’s absence has had an impact on the NBA Finals MVP odds. Despite losing Game 1 to the Bucks, the Celtics’ Jayson Tatum still has the best odds to win the NBA Finals MVP award.
Embiid is not among the top contenders to win the MVP for the NBA Finals and he is also expected to miss Game 2. As he sits on the bench, expect to see his NBA Finals odds continue to regress.
Just like betting on Embiid at +1500 to win the regular season MVP, this might be the best time to back Embiid moving forward. If you like the 76ers to reach the NBA Finals, Embiid will be in MVP contention.
As of this writing, it’s unclear when Embiid will return to the starting lineup for the 76ers and how effective he will be throughout this series.
