It's widely known that Joel Embiid is coming off a dominant season with the Philadelphia 76ers, making all sorts of history in the process. Aside from being the favorite to win NBA MVP, the Sixers big man also captured the scoring title for the second year in a row. He's put himself in impressive company by doing so, too.
Via NBA History:
“Joel Embiid is the first Center to win back-to-back scoring titles since Bob McAdoo (1974-75, 1975-76) and the fourth Center all-time to do so joining McAdoo, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Wilt Chamberlain.”
Embiid is mentioned in the same breath as greats like Kareem, Wilt, and McAdoo. That's special. As you can see, it's extremely rare for a center to lead the league in PPG. I mean, the last time it happened was ages ago until the Cameroonian showed out in 2021-22 before also doing his thing on a nightly basis this season.
The 29-year-old finished the campaign with 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per contest while shooting 54.8% from the field. He's arguably the most unstoppable player in the NBA alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is also a legitimate force to be reckoned with.
Despite putting his name in the record books, Joel Embiid will strictly be focused on finally taking Philly to the Promised Land. After a 54-win season where Doc Rivers' squad found a lot of success with their star duo of Embiid and James Harden, perhaps the Sixers could finally be the one coming out of the East once the Finals roll around. For the time being, however, they have to get past the Brooklyn Nets in the first round. Game 1 is scheduled for Saturday afternoon.