Sixers’ Joel Embiid Desires MVP Validation Ahead of NBA Playoffs

As the Philadelphia 76ers continue preparing for the 2023 NBA Playoffs, Sixers star Joel Embiid hopes to win more than an NBA title this year.

Not long ago, Embiid didn’t seem interested in his MVP race status. As the debates amongst outsiders were heating up, with everybody dishing their opinions on the three-man race that involved Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Embiid, the Sixers star claimed that he was taking a “different approach” as the MVP race concluded.

Embiid’s message was that he was focused solely on team success. That’s been consistent with his previous messages throughout the year. While the big man went as far as saying, “I don’t care,” about winning MVP just last month, Embiid changed his tune recently during an interview on Showtime’s ‘Headliners With Rachel Nichols.’

“One thing I'll say is that if people tell you that they don't care about it, they're lying. That's the best award you can get as a basketball player, it means a lot. If I were to win it, it would validate all the work that I put in. That's why I cared about it, because you put in so much work and if you get that recognition, it just validates that you didn't waste your time. But like I said, if someone tells you that they don't care, that's bullshit.”

Lately, both Embiid and Antetokounmpo have slightly changed their tune when discussing the MVP award.

While both bigs echoed a similar sentiment, claiming that team success is all they are focused on, they both feel like winning the solo award validates the work they’ve put into mastering their craft, which is something they desire.

Wanting to win MVP doesn’t mean that playoff success isn’t on Embiid’s mind, as players can have several goals throughout the season.

Whether Embiid’s MVP campaign will result in a win or not won’t be clear until later on in the postseason. But now that the work for the campaign is finished, Embiid and the Sixers have to focus on one goal; winning the NBA Finals.

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