76ers: What Al Horford Had to Say About Joel Embiid's MVP Win

Before the Philadelphia 76ers faced the Boston Celtics for the second matchup of the second-round series, the NBA crowned Sixers center Joel Embiid the MVP.

For the third-straight season, Embiid was placed in the MVP conversation. This season, he shared the finalist stage with Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks big man Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Although Embiid lost out on MVP to Jokic over the last two seasons, the Sixers’ center finally found an edge and took home the award. On Tuesday night, Embiid accepted the accomplishment.

Ahead of Wednesday’s Game 2 matchup between the Sixers and the Celtics, former Sixers big man Al Horford issued Embiid his props for earning the MVP title.

“Well-deserved,” said Horford. “The guy was great this season. By far, he was the best player in our league this year. He deserves the award.”

Al Horford reacts to Joel Embiid winning MVP 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/4cvAUNob94
— Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics) May 3, 2023

Embiid and Horford have had their fair share of battles throughout the years. For Embiid’s first three seasons, he was a direct rival of Horford, who played for the Celtics.

In 2019-2020, Horford and Embiid joined forces as the Sixers inked the former Celtic to a multi-year deal during the 2019 free agency period.

The Horford-Embiid pairing didn’t pan out the way the Sixers imagined. After a disappointing season in Philadelphia, Horford was dealt to the Oklahoma City Thunder. After spending one season in OKC, Horford was moved back to Boston.

Although Horford no longer shares a locker room with Embiid, the former Sixer gave the big man proper credit ahead of their latest battle.

The two will share the court for Game 3 on Friday night, as both the Sixers and the Celtics, will search for an opportunity to get a leg up on the series.