As it currently stands, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are the heavy favorites to win the MVP. If you're going to ask Stephen A. Smith who he's voting, though, he has the Philadelphia 76ers center getting the edge.

While Jokic undoubtedly has the better numbers and is close when it comes to team record, Stephen A. just couldn't help but acknowledge the dominance Embiid showed throughout the campaign with the Sixers.

“I have to give my vote to Joel Embiid. I understood there was a slight hiccup once James Harden arrived, so I paid attention to that. And in those first few games James Harden arrived, he still had 34, 37, 27, two 22-point games, right? Last 15 games or so, 43, 27, 35, 34, 35, 32, had a 21-point game, right, [then] 30, 27 …” Smith shared.

True enough, it's a close fight between Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic (as well as Giannis Antetokounmpo to be honest), and they are certainly deserving of the honor.

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With that said, as Stephen A. Smith did, a strong case can definitely be made for the Sixers superstar. Not only did he carry the team amid the Ben Simmons drama in the first half of the season, but he also did so in a historic way. He finished the 2021-22 season as the scoring champion, something that no big man has achieved in over two decades since Shaquille O ‘Neal at the turn of the 2000s.

While it is hard to say if Embiid can win the highest individual honor in the NBA, there is no doubt he has given it his all for the Sixers.