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By James Brinsford
US Pop Culture & Sports Reporter
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The moment that Joel Embiid found out he had been named the NBA MVP for 2022-23 has gone viral on social media.
The Philadelphia 76ers center has been runner-up for the past two seasons but took the top award this time round, winning the vote by a big margin.
The announcement was made on Inside the NBA and Embiid's instant reaction was captured by the 76ers. The clip, which can be watched above, shows him break down in tears as his teammates whoop and holler "MVP."
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Embiid received 73 of the 100 first-place votes. Nuggets center Nikola Jokić, who was named NBA MVP for 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, got 15 first-place votes this time. Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has also won the award twice, received the remaining 12 votes.
The 76ers star's 66 appearances this season yielded an average of 33.1 points per game, which led the league in scoring. He also had an average of 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game
Embiid shot a career-high 55 percent from the field and has become the first 76ers player to be named MVP since Allen Iverson in 2001.
Commenting on the accolade, Embiid told Inside the NBA: "It's been a long time coming. A lot of hard work. I've been through a lot … It feels good. I don't know what to say. It's amazing."
The 76ers center later reshared a Twitter post from 2014, in which he predicted that he would one day be No 1 in the MVP rankings, overtaking LeBron James and Kobe Bryant.
He added the comment: "SPOKE IT INTO EXISTENCE."
After a Philadelphia victory over the Boston Celtics last month, 76ers coach Doc Rivers declared: "The MVP race is over."
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Embiid agreed with the declaration at the time, but said there was more to be done by the 76ers this season.
He responded: "They're probably right. But we have bigger goals in mind."
The 76ers are bidding to win the NBA title for the first time since 1983. It has been 22 years since they went past the first round of the playoffs.
Unfortunately for the newly crowned MVP, Embiid suffered an injury during the 4-0 series win over the Brooklyn Nets. This kept him out of the 119-115 win over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semi-finals on May 2.
He will be hoping for a swift return so he can be part of the push for the NBA crown.
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