Nikola Jokic won MVP over Joel Embiid and it does not matter at all
By Jack Simone
Nikola Jokic won the 2022 NBA MVP. Philadelphia 76ers fans are very mad.
The MVP race came down to three players this year – Jokic, Joel Embiid, and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Although, through the last two months of the season, it felt like only Jokic and Embiid had a chance.
Twitter blew up in a fit of rage when it was announced that Jokic won the award over Embiid. It’s mostly Sixers fans who are getting angry, but there are a bunch of media members who are also upset.
Everyone is talking about how foolish voters must feel now that Embiid is still in the playoffs and Jokic got knocked out in the first round. And it’s true. The Sixers are a much better team than the Denver Nuggets.
Nikola Jokic won MVP over Joel Embiid and it does not matter at all
Despite Embiid having to carry them through the first half of the season, Philadelphia has the better roster. This isn’t to say that Embiid didn’t deserve the award, just that the playoffs are about more than just one player.
Also, the MVP is a REGULAR SEASON award for a reason. The voting for this award was completed a month ago before the playoffs even started, so saying that Embiid has played better in the playoffs is quite literally irrelevant.
But arguing over who won the award and who didn’t isn’t the point of this article. The point it to let everyone in on a little secret:
The MVP Award doesn’t matter.
Yes, it’s a shiny award that people love to make the focal point of resumes when debating who the greatest player of all time is. But here’s another little secret: those debates don’t matter either.
Everything that you’re anger is centered around is opinion-based. Some people can think Michael Jordan is better, some LeBron James, and who knows, maybe some people out there think Tim Duncan is the GOAT. Who cares?
Plus, if Embiid ends up going on a massive playoff run, no one will care about the MVP award. And Philly fans, if you waste the joy of watching the Sixers go on a big-time run in favor of arguing with Nuggets fans on Twitter, then that’s your own fault.
Just enjoy the game. In the grand scheme of things, awards don’t matter that much. And they’re definitely not worth fighting over on the internet. (Nothing ever is.)