11-Year NBA Veteran’s Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid Statement Goes Viral

Was Joel Embiid robbed of MVP awards over Nikola Jokic?

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) glances at Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic (15) during a break in action in the third quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images / Bill Streicher-Imagn Images

The battle of supremacy between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid is one of the never-ending topics in the NBA. Despite Jokic winning an NBA championship and Embiid never going to a Conference Finals, there are many who believe Embiid is still better - including former three-time NBA All-Star Gilbert Arenas.

During an episode of The Gil's Arena Show, the former guard claimed that Joel Embiid has been robbed of awards over Nikola Jokic due to the NBA's 65-game rule to win regular season awards.

"Twenty-something years from now because no one is gonna remember this part in history that this came in, and he lost his MVP because of a rule. He's not going to be put into history fairly," Arenas said.

Gilbert Arenas says Joel Embiid is probably the best player in the NBA, and the NBA’s 65-game rule has prevented his accolades from stacking up against Jokic’s

“Embiid has beat this man’s a$$”

(🎥 @GilsArenaShow )
pic.twitter.com/oGVBxxGhUC

— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 9, 2024

Arenas took his claim one step further, stating that Joel Embiid has been beating Nikola Jokic in all of their battles. In actuality, Embiid has only faced Jokic three times since December 10, 2019, because of injuries.

"He's probably the best player in the league, him and Jokic are fighting for who is number one," Arenas said. "I don't think his legacy is going to mirror that. When you're talking about them two battling each other, Embiid has beat this man's a**. You put the 65 rule in and then go back across the board, you'll see a lot of these accolades would have been taken away."

Granted, Joel Embiid has a 6-2 regular season record over Nikola Jokic. In those games, Jokic is averaging 22.3 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 6.9 assists. On the other side, Embiid is averaging 27.6 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists.

What matters the most though isn't who's winning in the regular season. What matters the most is who is actually rising in the playoffs and winning championships - which is what Nikola Jokic has been doing.