It was announced on Tuesday that the recipient of the 2023 NBA MVP award is Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid. The big man had a staggering statistical season, posting 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, a steal and 1.7 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the field. This marks the first MVP of the Cameroon Natives’ impressive career since coming into the NBA as the No.3 pick back in 2014.
Before we get into what this means for the league and Embiid, let’s first swiftly go through how he got here. Embiid didn’t start playing basketball until he was 15 years old and didn’t get discovered until he joined a Basketball Without Borders Camp in 2011. From there he came to the States to play high school basketball at Montverde Academy in Florida. While his high school career showcased his raw talent and physical gifts, there was a clear need for polishing his game.
He would be a one-and-done at Kansas in 2013-14 where he played under head coach Bill Self. He also played alongside the highly-regarded prospect in Canadian forward Andrew Wiggins, who many believed would be the next LeBron and hailed as “Maple Jordan”. At Kansas, he showed impressive footwork, touch, and skill, with many comparing him to NBA legend Hakeem Olajuwon due to his background and playstyle.
As a Jayhawk, he averaged 11.2 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 2.6 blocks per game in just 23 minutes per contest. A broken foot would have Embiid drop to third in his draft class and cost him his first two seasons in the NBA. However, he made immediate impact as soon as he stepped on the floor. An All-Star and All-NBA player with an All-Defensive team selection under his belt. He’s dealt with numerous injuries, playoff blunders, and played runner-up to Nikola Jokic for MVP award in the last two seasons.
What’s it mean for the league?
There are two things I’ve taken away after the award was announced. One is that we have been in a “golden era” of big men over the last half-decade, and two is the rise of international superstars. Let’s get into the first.
Since the mid-2010s when a young Anthony Davis was on the rise, Giannis Antetokounmpo was starting to become the player we know now. Meanwhile, Jokic and Embiid entered the league and quickly showed they will be forces to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future. We have seen a renaissance in gifted, talented big men who have pushed the boundaries from their predecessors (Kevin Garnett, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, etc) for future bigs to come after them.
There was a time in the league when talent was so dearth at the big man position that they even took the center spot off the All-Star ballot back in 2012. That’s how bad it was with big men such as Roy Hibbert being named All-Stars. Thanks to the rise of Davis, Giannis, Jokic, and Embiid in the last decade, the league has had four bigs that have brought back franchise big men you can build around.
That’s not even mentioning Bam Adebayo (Miami Heat), Evan Mobley, (Cleveland Cavaliers), Domantas Sabonis (Sacramento Kings), Defensive Player of the Year Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies), and reigning Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero (Orlando Magic) to name a few.
Collectively, these players have either been All-Stars, garnered All-NBA selections, DPOY awards, MVPs, or All-Defensive honors. Younger ones such as Mobley and Banchero are just getting started on what should be Hall of Fame careers at the rate they’re working in.
As for what’s coming, the player most people (including myself) believe is the best prospect in NBA History is projected to be on top of his draft class this year. The “French Mamba” Victor Wembanyama is a 7-foot-4 guard with an 8-foot wingspan, who’s elite on both ends of the floor and is considered to be not just a franchise-changing, but a league-altering talent. So yeah, we’re in a boom of supremely talented big men.
International Players have taken over the League
With Embiid being named MVP, that now makes it five consecutive years of international players reigning supreme on the league’s most prestigious individual regular season award. From Giannis (’19, ’20), Jokic (’21, ’22), and now Embiid.
All three are in the prime of their careers. Outside these MVPs, Luka Doncic has been in the All-NBA First Team three times at the age of 24. He can potentially win an MVP or two in his career, and Wembanyama should take many MVPs in his future if he stays healthy.
The last American MVP was Sixers shooting guard James Harden in 2018 with the Houston Rockets. With all this great international talent, we will probably not see another American-born MVP for a while. International stars are only starting to shine, meanwhile, the LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant generation of stars are in the twilight of their careers.
So what does this award mean for Embiid?
This award means Embiid is an MVP, a six-time All-Star, four-time (soon to be five when they announce it) All-NBA player, three-time All-Defensive Second Team member, and has led the league in scoring in back-to-back seasons averaging 30.1 and 33.1 points per game. He became the first center since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to lead the league in scoring.
Upon winning the MVP, Embiid joins the pantheon of great centers to have won the award from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6x), Bill Russell (5x), Wilt Chamberlain (4x), Moses Malone (3x), Nikola Jokic (2x), Hakeem Olajuwon, Shaq, and David Robinson.
He has the potential to be a top 30 player of All-Time on his current trajectory. But can the newly-crowned MVP help lead the Sixers to their first Conference Finals appearance since Allen Iverson in 2001? Can he will them to a Finals berth and win a championship?
Those would be the next questions he must answer in his career. But for now, he has accomplished more than anyone would expect for someone who just started playing basketball at 15–and we should appreciate his greatness.