Kendrick Perkins Explains Why Joel Embiid Won’t Get His MVP Vote

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has received plenty of public support for his MVP campaign this season. At this point, Embiid is the betting favorite to take home the award, and even beat out Nikola Jokic in last week’s straw poll that was put together by ESPN.

While Embiid is in good shape to take home the MVP title for the first time in his career, he isn’t nearing a landslide victory as there are notable voters, such as Kendrick Perkins, are making their non-Embiid votes public.

On NBA Today, Perkins discussed the MVP race following a dominant Embiid performance against the Boston Celtics. Even though that 52-point performance might’ve won over some previous doubters, Perkins will stick to his theory.

“I said three weeks ago, it's going to come down to Tatum, Embiid, Giannis, and Jokic for me,” he said. “Whichever guy’s team has the best record, that's who I'm voting for, because they all were like two games apart. So Giannis is going to finish with the best record. Would I like Embiid to win the MVP, does he deserve it? Yes! And guess what? If he do win the MVP, although he's not getting Big Perk’s vote, I will be at his ceremony.”

Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Nikola Jokic are likely to end up as finalists this season once again. As Perkins seems to prioritize team wins, Giannis will get his vote as the Bucks finished with a league-best 58-22 record.

Considering Perkins still claims to be a supporter of Embiid’s, the Sixers’ superstar could end up with a second-place vote on Perkins’ ballot.

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.

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