The 2023 NBA MVP race is coming down to the wire, with Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid trying to stop Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic from being the first player to three-peat since Larry Bird in the late 1980s.
ESPN's final NBA MVP Straw Poll shows that the race is razor thin, with both players extremely deserving of the award this season, and separated by just two points.
This NBA season could feature one of the closest Most Valuable Player votes in league history; the poll shows that Embiid has overtaken Jokic to take a 790 to 788 lead, per Tim Bontemps of ESPN.
The poll is based on 100 media members who were asked by ESPN to informally vote on MVP, to mimic the NBA's postseason award voting process. The poll includes at least two voters from each of the league's 28 markets, along with a cross section of national and international reporters.
“Not only did Embiid edge Jokic in total points — 790 to 788 — but Jokic actually had more first-place votes (42 for Jokic, 40 for Embiid),” wrote Bontemps on Thursday.
“The difference: Embiid finished in second place on 45 ballots — six more than Jokic — to give the Sixers big man a slight lead over his rival…Add it all up and, with just a handful of days to go in the regular season, many of those polled are still uncertain about how they will ultimately vote.”
The vote gets even tougher with Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo knocking on the door after an excellent campaign himself; he won the award back-to-back in 2019 and 2020.
It's a historically close race, one that hasn't been this tight since the 1989-90 season, when Hall of Famers Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Michael Jordon all duked it out. Johnson ended up winning the NBA MVP in 1990 with 38 first-place votes.
“Could they tie for MVP?” Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd joked before Wednesday night's game between the Mavs and Embiid's 76ers in Philadelphia.
“Let's see if we can get that done.”
One thing's certain: it's going to be an electric race to the finish between Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.
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