Embiid Wins 2022–23 MVP

On May 2, 2023 the NBA announced Joel Embiid as the 2022–23 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player. The selection ended Nikola Jokic’s consecutive two-year hold on the award and formalized the season-long assessment that Embiid had the greatest value among voters for that regular season [5]. Coverage of the announcement included the Philadelphia 76ers' official social post declaring Embiid the MVP and Immediate reaction from national outlets analyzed the implications for both players’ legacies. The award followed a season in which Embiid produced dominant traditional statistics and high-profile performances—such as his Jan. 28, 2023 47-point game versus Denver—that voters weighed against Jokic’s sustained all-around impact in prior seasons. The vote result was widely reported and served as a formal resolution to the season-long MVP comparison between the two centers [5].

The May 2, 2023 MVP award matters for the Jokic–Embiid narrative because it converted season-long statistical and matchup debates into a discrete, verifiable outcome: Embiid received the league's highest regular-season honor over Jokic, the two-time defending winner. That decision intensified media and fan comparisons and anchored subsequent discussions about which player represented the era’s preeminent center [5].

After Embiid won the award, media analyses revisited head-to-head games and league-wide impact to contextualize the vote. The result did not produce direct public conflict between Embiid and Jokic; instead, it sharpened comparisons in subsequent seasons and remained a frequent reference point when voters and commentators discussed both players’ careers and legacies [5].