About two minutes into his MVP speech Thursday night time, as packed Wells Fargo Middle chants subsided and it was simply Joel Embiid, the Michael Jordan Trophy and a microphone, the feelings started to overwhelm the 76ers star.
Embiid waved for his 2-year-old son, Arthur — “he’s someplace,” Embiid mentioned, after which his son, sporting an MVP-themed high, sprinted over to the 7-foot star.
That second, that embrace, that interplay prompted Embiid to start out tearing up, and Arthur took management of the highlight even after Embiid continued.
“Changing into a father modified my entire life, and I simply wished to point out him a great instance — and I’m glad he’s right here with us,” Embiid mentioned throughout his MVP speech.
Embiid was introduced along with his MVP award — alongside NBA commissioner Adam Silver, his dad and mom and others — forward of Sport 3 between the Celtics and 76ers, which Boston received, 114-102, to take a 2-1 sequence lead.
Nuggets star Nikola Jokic had received the final two MVP awards and once more emerged as a candidate through the 2022-23 season, however Embiid received one other NBA scoring title, compiled 73 first-place votes and claimed the glory over Jokic (15) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (12).
By profitable the MVP award, Embiid, who scored 30 factors and grabbed 13 rebounds in 39 minutes within the 76ers’ Sport 3 loss, now joins Allen Iverson, Julius Erving, Moses Malone and Wilt Chamberlain on the listing of 76ers to earn that honor, in accordance with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
He averaged a career-best 33.1 factors per sport through the common season, together with 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per sport.
Then, as soon as the playoffs arrived, Embiid missed the final sport of Philadelphia’s first-round sequence towards Brooklyn and the opening sport of their second-round sequence towards the Celtics.
He returned for Sport 2 on Tuesday and contributed 15 factors in 26 minutes.
