Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Thoughts on MVP Race Against Joel Embiid

When the 2022 MVP finalists were revealed, voters were set to pick between three do-it-all bigs as Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid, Denver Nuggets big Nikola Jokic, and Milwaukee Bucks forward/center Giannis Antetokounmpo finished as finalists.

With just a handful of games left to go in the 2022-2023 NBA season, the three talented stars are more than likely on pace to finish as finalists once again. On Sunday night, Antetokounmpo and Embiid faced off for the final time during the regular season.

Lately, Giannis has had the third-best odds to land MVP this year. Embiid has jumped back and forth between the second-best odds and the favorite. After a Sunday night Sixers beatdown, courtesy of Antetokounmpo and the Bucks, Milwaukee’s head coach Mike Budenholzer mentioned that he believes his guy is the MVP, considering the impact he has on games for the Eastern Conference’s top team.

Following Budenholzer’s postgame comments, Giannis offered his thoughts on the state of the MVP race.

“If Coach Bud thinks I'm the MVP, great. If not, great. We got four more games left,” said Antetokounmpo. “Gotta keep playing good basketball, stay healthy, try to enjoy the game of basketball because you can get the MVP and be miserable. That's not who I am as a person. But again, it's a great compliment. I was happy when I won my first two. A great compliment to be the Most Valuable Player in the league. I'm happy that for the last five years, I'm able to be in the conversation. I'm happy that I'm able to be consistent. I'm happy that I'm able to help my team be great, but that's the goal. That's the only goal; try to keep putting myself in a position to help my team be great.”

Joel Embiid echoed a similar sentiment last week when discussing his thoughts regarding the heavily-debated MVP race. While the big man clearly wants the respect and accolades that come with being one of the top players in the NBA, Embiid claims to be focused solely on his team’s success.

Considering Antetokounmpo already has two MVP nods to his name, he’s focused on helping his team achieve its second NBA Finals win since they won it all a couple of years back.

“’Im just trying to get better. I'm just trying to enjoy the game of basketball,” Antetokounmpo explained. “I think when you think about the MVP, it just puts pressure on yourself. Just puts pressure at the end of the day. I'm happy where I am in life. I'm happy that God blessed me with this talent. I'm happy that I'm able to, you know, go out there every day and chase my dream that I had as a kid and try to improve and go out there and play with an edge. I'm happy for my kids, happy for my brothers, my mom, significant other. I’m happy for my team. Obviously, it's a great compliment to finish the season and be the Most Valuable Player in the league, but at the end of the day, I'm just happy that God allows me to go out there and enjoy the game of basketball.”

The MVP race will come down to the wire. While many believe it’s a two-player race between Jokic and Embiid, the Bucks’ superstar should not be counted out. Not only is Giannis regarded as one of the best defensive players in the game, but his offense remains dominant as ever, too. Mix that in with the fact that the Bucks hold a league-best 56-22 record, and Antetokounmpo might be closer to winning the award than many think.

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