Sixers’ Joel Embiid On MVP Award: ‘That’s Something I Dreamt Of’

On Tuesday, the NBA officially announced Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid as the winner of the 2023 MVP Award. Leading the Sixers to a 54-28 record, Embiid averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists. One of his career goals was to be named the MVP, but his focus remains on leading his team to championships.

“That’s something I dreamt of and I’ve always wanted, especially when I started playing basketball, that was always the goal. Obviously, there are other goals and stuff, this is just one step to whatever I want to accomplish, which is to win championships,” Embiid said Wednesday. “We’re right there.”

Embiid reflected on the ups and downs and personal trials that went into his life journey, leading to becoming the NBA’s Most Valuable Player, including losing his brother, Arthur, who was involved in a tragic accident early in Joel’s career. As an African athlete, Embiid sees his accomplishment as an improbable feat that exemplifies what can be accomplished with hard work.

“Losing my brother was a big part of it, almost leading me to quit basketball,” Embiid said. “Not wanting to come back because I felt like it was kind of my fault because I left Cameroon, I left my family, and I felt like I should have been there to do something. That was also the period where there was a lot of dark times, missing a few years because of the foot, and everything really going on around the organization outside of basketball. It was tough but I’m just glad I pushed through it, and I’m here sitting in front of you guys having accomplished something a lot of people don’t get the opportunity to.”

“To be sitting here and feel like I won something as far as the Most Valuable Player is great, but then again, it’s also part of my story. I’ve always felt like I was a role model especially to my Cameroonian people and my African people, and just looking at my story they can look at it and be like, wow, he did it. Probably the probability of someone like me starting playing basketball at 15, to get the chance to be the MVP of the league is I would say probably negative zero. We don’t have a lot of opportunities back in Africa, in general, to get to this point. But improbable doesn’t mean impossible, and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to as long as you believe in it, and you keep working hard, anything can happen.”

Embiid shared his appreciation for James Harden — a previous winner of the Most Valuable Player award — for his sacrifices to play alongside Embiid to win at the highest level. Additionally, Embiid expressed his gratitude to Tyrese Maxey for being a continued student of the game and taking the criticism he receives positively.

“James is, man, I don’t even know where to start. I think since he’s been here, I think he won’t tell me that but I think he kind of made his goal for me to be the MVP. He has given up a lot and I’ve always said it, he’s the best playmaker I’ve ever played with, and he’s the best playmaker probably in the NBA. He’s been helping me as far as getting me easy opportunities, whether it’s to score the ball or just be a better basketball player on and off the court. He was just extremely happy for me, just like they all were, and that meant a lot for me. That meant a lot for me to know your teammates care about me as much as I care about them.”

“They’ve allowed me to just be myself and just take me as I am. Tyrese is a guy I would probably put in the position of understanding me, and understanding if I’m going to criticize him, he knows it’s because I want him to be better. Some other guys in the past, I don’t know, they might have took that criticism as like, he’s mad, he has a problem with me. That’s not me, I want to win, and I can’t win alone. I need all of them, and they do understand it, so I think that’s why this team is different and special.”

Embiid credits the presence of his son, Arthur — named after his brother — as a major motivational factor in his career. Joel has sought to make the most of his opportunities using a shift in mindset after having his first child, going as far as to say that everything about him has changed positively, both on and off the court.

“When I found out we were having a kid, I just remember I was like, I got to be a great role model. I got to set a good example, I want him to understand his dad not only was pretty good but he also worked hard and went and took everything he wanted,” Embiid said. “It’s one of the reasons why my whole mindset has changed. Everything about me has changed — the way I went about my business, my life, everything just changed. I just wanted to be a great father and set a good example.”

As a result of winning the Most Valuable Player award, Embiid sees the hard work and sacrifices of his Sixers teammates as being validated as they continue to pursue a championship — the ultimate goal. Throughout his journey, he wants to accomplish everything possible.

“I don’t want to win this award because it’s just the MVP, I want to win it because it means a lot to me. I went through a lot, and that’s validation of everything, the sacrifices and everything you went through is paying off in some ways. Obviously, winning a championship is going to be way better and we have that opportunity,” Embiid said. “I’m just competitive. I want it all, I want to win everything that I can get my hands on. It doesn’t matter if it’s about basketball or if we’re playing a game, in life, or whatever, I want to win everything. I want to be first.”

The Sixers are now locked into a 1-1 series tie with the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Embiid and Co. have a tough task at hand as they seek to compete for a championship. Failing to do so would bring no shortage of questions ahead of a potentially tumultuous offseason.