Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid had high hopes that he would win the 2020-21 NBA MVP award. Unfortunately, that honor went to Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic.
Embiid, who probably heard the MVP announcement before taking on the Atlanta Hawks in Game 2 of their series on Tuesday, certainly looked like a man in a mission. He scored 40 points in the contest and grabbed 13 rebounds, seeming sending a message that this is what MVP players do.
Sure enough, after the game, the Cameroonian expressed his disappointment that he didn't win the award despite all the work he has put in. However, he wants Sixers fans to know that he is ready to move on and focus on winning the Larry O'Brien trophy.
“It's disappointing, because as a player you work hard for moments like this. But then again, it's out of my control. There's nothing I can do about it. I just gotta come out every year and just be ready to do my job,” Embiid said, per Derek Bodner of The Athletic.
“I'm not worried about those awards. If I'm holding that trophy, anything else won't matter.”
Joel Embiid has a reason to be disappointed. After all, he just led the Sixers to the best record in the Western Conference while putting up 28.5 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.4 blocks per game.
Unfortunately, as head coach Doc Rivers acknowledged, the fact that Embiid played in just 51 games while Jokic featured in all 72 contests for the Nuggets affected the odds.
Embiid finished as a runner-up to Jokic in the MVP voting. In a disappointing twist, though, Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry got more first-place votes than the 27-year-old center.
While the recent MVP defeat and voting disrespect no longer matters, this should only fuel and motivate JoJo to prove his doubters wrong.
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