Joel Embiid's unparalleled basketball journey with the Philadelphia 76ers now includes an MVP trophy. The Sixers center was officially named the 2022-23 MVP after a sensational season.

Embiid received 73 first-place votes and 915 total points after leading the league with 33.1 points per game while powering one of the best offenses in the league and anchoring a good defense. His path to this point contained a multitude of twists and turns on the court and off it. Now, he is relishing the moment and recalling both the mental and physical tolls it took to reach it.

“It's been a long time coming,” Embiid said in his interview with the Inside the NBA crew. “A lot of hard work. I've been through a lot — and I'm not just talking about basketball. I'm talking about everything as a life: my story, where I come from, how I got here, what it took for me to be here. It feels good.”

Embiid started playing basketball when he was a skinny 15-year-old and developed into a gargantuan yet graceful hooper that can score from anywhere and has a killer mentality on the court. The Sixers have been a regular playoff team under his watch and this season have become as legitimate of a title contender as they ever have with him.

As far as the most important individuals in his journey to NBA superstardom, Embiid pointed to his uncle that helped convince him to start taking basketball seriously and former NBA player/fellow Cameroonian Luc Mbah a Moute for allowing him to do so. He hosted a basketball camp and helped Embiid get to the United States to (start to) develop his game.

After excelling at Kansas, Embiid was drafted third overall by the Sixers in 2014. He sat out his first two seasons due to a foot injury but showed his potential as soon as he made it to the court. Since then, all he has done is get better and better. In seven seasons, he has been named to six All-Star teams, four All-NBA teams and three All-Defensive teams. Now, he takes home the Michael Jordan Trophy after an incredible campaign to further signify his outstanding talent.

While Joel Embiid and the Sixers celebrate the momentous occasion, they are still keeping their focus on their second-round playoff series against the Boston Celtics. They lead the series 1-0 after winning the first game with the big fella sidelined due to a sprained right LCL. Embiid, who didn't give away what his status for Game 2 will likely be, said that they will “celebrate for five minutes and then we're getting back to business. We got a series to win.”