76ers News: Joel Embiid Earns All-NBA First Team

On Wednesday, the NBA announced the All-NBA teams for the 2022-2023 NBA season. To no surprise, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid has been named First Team All-NBA.

Once again, Joel Embiid leveled up his play this season. After leading the league in scoring by averaging a career-high of 31 points per game in 68 outings while shooting at a 50 percent clip, Embiid found himself second to Nikola Jokic in the MVP voting and left off the First Team All-NBA list.

In 2022-2023, Embiid upped the ante. He averaged a career-high of 33 points per game while knocking down 55 percent of his shots from the field. Once again, Embiid was crowned the NBA’s scoring champion.

Along with his scoring, Embiid averaged ten rebounds, four assists, one steal, and two blocks per game. Although he was in another tight race for the NBA MVP award, a race that featured Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo, Embiid was finally gifted the opportunity to hoist the trophy for the first time in his career.

A little over a week later, Embiid was named First Team All-NBA for the first time and became the first Sixer to earn that recognition since Allen Iverson.

The last time Iverson was named All-NBA First Team as a Sixer was in 2004-2005. At the time, it was Iverson’s third nod. Embiid now joins an elite class of former Sixers who made First Team All-NBA, such as George McGinnis, Moses Malone, Billy Cunningham, Wilt Chamberlain, Charles Barkley, Julius Erving, and Dolph Schayes.

With his newest accolade, Embiid is now a one-time MVP, six-time All-Star, four-time All-NBA Second Team, three-time NBA All-Defensive Second Team, two-time scoring champion, and one-time NBA All-Rookie First Team.

What’s next for Embiid? The Sixers’ big man is still hunting for his first shot at an NBA title. As the Sixers have a 3-2 lead over the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the Sixers have an opportunity to close out the series on Thursday night in Game 6.

If the 76ers defeat the Celtics in the seven-game series, it will mark the first time in Embiid’s career he advances past the second round of the playoffs. The two teams will tip off for Game 6 at 7:30 PM ET.