Joel Embiid Is an Incredibly Unlikely—and Deserving—MVP

It would’ve been so easy for Embiid’s career to fade into oblivion. Instead, he overcame injuries and hardship to make an unexpected run to basketball’s pinnacle.

In 2010, Joel Embiid first started playing basketball. In ‘15, after multiple injuries robbed him of his first two professional seasons—and in the wake of the death of his brother—he considered walking away from the game entirely. And now, in ‘23, Embiid is the MVP of the NBA.

Embiid’s ascension to the pinnacle of individual basketball is one of the more improbable stories in the history of the sport. He didn’t start playing the sport until well into his teens. And a foot injury before the draft clouded where he would be selected in the summer of 2014. That injury would keep him out for two full seasons, casting doubts as to whether he would ever play in an NBA game or go down as one of the biggest busts in draft history. Over his first three seasons, Embiid played in only 31 games, finally debuting in the ’16–17 season under an aggressive maintenance schedule.

Since then, Embiid quickly turned himself into one of the NBA’s premier players. It’s become so easy to define his career by his playoff foibles, the majority of which have been out of his control—ill-timed injuries, once-in-a-lifetime shots, teammate meltdowns—that it’s become difficult to remember it’s unbelievable Embiid is here in the first place. By the end of 2017, it would have been an accomplishment if he could have simply participated in a full season. By the end of ’18, Embiid was so good that his success invited all the pressure he plays under today. For all the hand-wringing about Philly’s tanking, many teams would have forfeited a couple of seasons for a talent such as Embiid.

Embiid’s second consecutive year as the league’s scoring leader has led the 76ers to the No. 3 seed in a loaded Eastern Conference :: Bill Streicher/USA TODAY Sports

And while this year’s MVP race was hotly contested—Nikola Jokić and Giannis Antetokounmpo finished second and third, respectively—Embiid is an incredibly deserving choice. For the second year in a row, Embiid finished first in scoring, this time at a robust 33.1 points per game clip. He didn’t do it by racking up points from the three-point line, which has become en vogue even for some of the game’s big men today. He did in a bruising manner, imposing his physicality in the paint and working his way to the free-throw line, while also perfecting a feathery elbow jumper, making Embiid one of the most difficult players to guard in the entire world. And yes, his reputation as a destructive defender is well-earned, as he often scares away opponents from the paint with simply a stern look.

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There will be plenty of opportunities, in the coming week even, to examine Embiid’s place among the game’s current greats and what is expected of him in the postseason. Yes, it is baffling that a player of his caliber has not been able to make the conference finals. There is also pretty compelling context to why that is the case. But Embiid’s MVP should not only serve as a testament to his individual brilliance, but how difficult and unexpected his path has been to the top. Considering how late he came to the sport of basketball—and how he even thought of leaving it behind—it’s no surprise how much this award means to Embiid. It’s a well-earned honor. And after a shaky start to his career, Embiid’s place in NBA history is now forever cemented.