Joel Embiid beats out Giannis Antetokounmpo and Nikola Jokic for MVP

Close battle

The official voting results showed that Embiid garnered 73 out of the 100 first-place votes, resulting in the victory. He totaled 915 voting points, besting Jokic, who had 674 points, and Giannis, who finished with 606.

Giannis had stated he would have loved to win a third MVP trophy, and he almost did. The Greek Freak had another stellar season, leading the Bucks to the best record in the entire league. His contributions were more pronounced this season, especially with the extended absences of All-Stars Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, and Bobby Portis Jr. The two-time MVP finished the season with incredible averages of 31.1 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game.

Well-deserved win

Voters, though, went with Embiid, who had previously finished runner-up in the MVP race twice. And while both Jokic and Giannis took time off toward the tail-end of the regular season, Embiid kept his foot on the gas pedal and uncorked one dominant performance after another, including dropping 52 points on the Boston Celtics on April 4th.

“I’ve been through a lot,” Embiid said. “I’m not just talking about basketball, I’m talking about everything as a life – my story. Where I come from, and how I got here, and what it took for me to be here, so it feels good.”