I went through a lot and that's just a validation of everything, the sacrifices and everything you went through just paying off in some ways. I want to win it because it means a lot to me. 'I don't want to win this award because it's just the MVP. 'I think a lot of people have this misconception of the difference between being competitive and wanting to win everything possible,' Embiid said. 76ers star Embiid breaks through, wins first MVPĪfter being particularly disappointed over not being MVP last season, Embiid repeatedly said throughout the 2022-23 season that it wasn't something he was focused on anymore - though he admitted Wednesday those comments were half-hearted, at best.Įmbiid said he was invested in winning the award - something he has said he has dreamed about since he started playing basketball - as part of his desire to accomplish everything he can in the sport, including winning championships.As long as you believe in it, and you know, keep working hard, anything can happen.' Editor's Picks But improbable doesn't mean impossible, and you can accomplish anything you set your mind to. We don't have a lot of opportunities back in Africa in general to get to this point. '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'd say, probably negative zero. But then again, it's also part of my story because I've always felt like I was a role model - especially to my Cameroonian people and my African people - and I feel like, just looking at my story, they can look at it and be like, 'Wow, he did it.'

And to be sitting here and feel like I won something as far as the Most Valuable Player is great.

'There's a reason why these are the best basketball players in the world. 'It's hard to win this league it's hard to be successful in this league,' Embiid said after Philadelphia's shootaround at TD Garden ahead of Wednesday's Game 2 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Celtics. Tim Bontemps, ESPN May 3, 2023, 02:26 PM ETīOSTON - Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid said the chances of someone like him - who started playing basketball in his native Cameroon at the age of 15 - winning the NBA's Most Valuable Player Award are 'probably negative zero,' but that it is proof that 'improbable doesn't mean impossible.'Įmbiid was named the winner of the league's top individual honor Tuesday night, claiming 73 of 100 first-place votes to finish ahead of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, who had beaten Embiid for the award in each of the past two seasons.

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