Joel Embiid Defends Houston Rockets Rookie Jalen Green
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid admitted that he figured he wouldn't win the NBA's MVP award weeks ago.
As the Sixers' big man was well-aware of the media's favorite based on the voting results that were being revealed online, Embiid thought his chances of taking home the award were slim.
While Embiid certainly wanted to win MVP for the first time in his career, he was a good sport about the loss this week.
After Philly's Game 5 defeat on the road against the Miami Heat, Embiid congratulated Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic for winning the award once again. In addition, he didn't sound off on the media for their decision, as Embiid claimed there is no "right or wrong" pick for the award.
However, Embiid's statement on his MVP loss didn't end right there. The big man felt strongly about a certain voter and had something to get off his chest.
Last month, The Ringer's Bill Simmons made a controversial comment regarding Houston Rockets rookie Jalen Green. When discussing his votes for First-Team All-Rookie, Simmons attempted to justify his decision to leave Green out, and the way he went about it left a bad taste in many players' mouths -- especially Embiid.
Embiid Defends Green
"I don’t know how to explain it, but I go back to what I heard on the podcast about Bill Simmons basically saying... it sounded like he had a grudge against somebody saying 'F Jalen Green,”'" said Embiid. "If we’re gonna allow these types of people to vote for these awards, that’s not fair."
Embiid mentioned earlier in the year that he would feel like the media hates him if he doesn't win Most Valuable Player. While he didn't revisit that comment on Tuesday night, Embiid pointed to a scenario that he might feel he could relate to as he's struggled to win key awards over the last two seasons.
"What if Jalen Green was in a position to earn a supermax or, I don’t know, an All-Star appearance?" Embiid continued. "You got someone sounding like that, and he has a lot of power. He can sway other media members, and you got someone saying this type of stuff. I don’t think it’s fair. I don’t think it’s ok. So, that’s really the only thing I’ll say about those awards."
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
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Joel Embiid Reacts to MVP Loss: Despite coming up short in the NBA MVP race for the second season in a row, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid doesn’t have any hard feelings over the results. After Game 5, the veteran big man congratulated Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic for winning the award once again. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE.
