Sixers News: Kevin Durant Explains Picking Joel Embiid for MVP
The 2023 NBA MVP debate will soon end as the voting media casts their ballots in the weeks leading up to the second round of the NBA Playoffs.
As the debate has been nonstop throughout the season, players have chimed in with their opinions regarding the race as well. And for the second-straight season, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant claims that Durant would be his choice.
“He’s just flat-out unstoppable,” Durant explained on The ETCs Podcast. “Joel’s my guy. He was my guy last year, too.”
Last season, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo were named finalists alongside Embiid. As many believed that the race came down to Jokic and Embiid, with voters favoring the Nuggets big man, Durant believed that Embiid should’ve been the choice.
However, he explained why he understood Embiid might lose the race for the second-straight season.
“There’s a lot of players that’s been controlled by their narrative,” Durant said. “Some of it has been because of the player and some of it has been about the perception other people have about that player. In Joel’s case, more people just like Giannis (Antetokounmpo) and (Nikola) Jokic.
“It’s as simple as that. His personality, his story I guess. As a basketball player, if people look at just the game and what is on the floor,” Durant continued, “then narrative and who you are and your personality, that stuff doesn’t really matter or shouldn’t matter. Joel, they probably just like those guys better. It’s not fair. But that’s how it goes at times. If I had a vote, I would choose Joel.”
For a while, it seemed Embiid might lose the MVP race to Jokic for the third-straight season but a stellar late-season push might’ve earned Embiid the edge this time around.
Regardless of whether Embiid wins the media’s voting this time around or not, the Sixers’ big man has received a ton of support from his fellow stars. Kevin Durant joined the club this week.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
