Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was robbed of his first NBA MVP on Monday morning, per ESPN. 76ers fans were not thrilled with the news.
Jokic winning the award isn’t necessarily surprising, as he leads in many of the advanced statistics and is inarguably the best passing big man in the game. However, this year may have been Embiid’s best chance to take home what he hoped to be the first of many individual accolades.
Instead, Embiid is left wanting more, just as Sixers fans are wondering when their big man will take home the award, if ever.
Nikola Jokic stats
Jokic’s numbers were even better than last year, as he averaged 27.1 points and 13.8 rebounds to go along with a staggering 7.9 assists. He’s the first player in NBA history to record 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a single season.
Joel Embiid stats
Embiid’s numbers are impressive as well. The Sixers big averaged over 30 points per contest, as well as 11.7 rebounds per. His 4.2 assists per game, while a solid mark for most bigs, do not compare to that of Jokic. The Nuggets star also had a higher PER.
Who votes for NBA MVP?
Since the 1980 season, the MVP award has been given out by a panel of sportswriters and broadcasters who cover the NBA in the United States and Canada. Previously, the winner had been selected by the players, but that changed in 1980.
Joel Embiid robbed: 76ers fans react
Embiid will surely have a reaction of his own, but as he and the 76ers fight for a spot in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, he has bigger team goals on his mind. If anything, the 76ers star can use losing out to Jokic as motivation.
Joel Embiid to the voters after missing out on MVP 😂 pic.twitter.com/28imUwVU6T
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 9, 2022
Eye Test = Joel Embiid for MVP!!!
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 9, 2022
Analytics = Jokic for MVP!!!
I’m glad I rolled with the EYE TEST on my vote.
Carry the hell on…
Let’s see the ballot so we can properly recognize which NBA media members completely destroyed their credibility by not voting for Joel Embiid and proving they don’t know a lick about basketball. https://t.co/QUFjZ0A1wo
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) May 9, 2022
Joel Embiid seeing he was robbed for the MVPpic.twitter.com/aICRosgQpC
— Maybe: Doran Dragić (@DP_Lavezzi22) May 9, 2022
We can all sit here and be angry frustrated and just rip into the voters. But it’s wasted energy. Joel Embiid will NEVER get the respect of these old dudes who vote because he was a part of the “Process”… it’s so stupid and @NBA and their offices should be ashamed.
— Rob Langi (@Philly_Madness) May 9, 2022
Bam Adebayo realizing he’s now going to face off vs a very pissed off, chip on his shoulder, Joel Embiid pic.twitter.com/un8P5GH2DT
— Joe Pop (@JoePops_) May 9, 2022
Joel Embiid lost the #MVP. Again.
— Marcus Hayes (@inkstainedretch) May 9, 2022
Ridiculous.
Expect to see max-motivated Embiid the rest of this postseason.#Sixers
— ☁️Kev☁️ (@KKane_27) May 9, 2022
https://twitter.com/GPropho/status/1523645444768763904
What a joke… time for nuggets fans to pull out the excel sheets with all the random stats he’s good in that no one cares about to try and prove he’s MVP, but no one uses the eye test because Joel is significantly better than Jokic #MVP #JoelEmbiid #76ers #Sixers https://t.co/BcZz0snr4G
— Matt Sadzinski (@MSS0317S) May 9, 2022
As if Philly sports fans needed something else to be upset about. It’s a constant cycle of complaining.