NBA MVP finalists 2023: Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetokounmpo again the top three
For the second consecutive season, the same three players are finalists for the NBAs MVP award.
The league announced Friday night that Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo are finalists again for the 2022-23 season.
To anyone tracking the MVP discussion, that news came as no surprise. In the final straw poll of voters by ESPNs Tim Bontemps, only that trio received first-place votes.
Embiid had a minuscule edge over Jokic in ESPNs straw poll, though the 29-year-olds stock appeared to soar following his 52-point performance (on 20-for-25 shooting) in an April 4 win over the Celtics. Sixers head coach Doc Rivers declared the race over.
Well soon see whether Embiid is indeed the Sixers first MVP since Allen Iverson in the 2000-01 season. With a league-high 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.7 blocks per game, Embiid helped the Sixers win 54 games this year, their most since that Eastern Conference title-winning campaign 22 years ago.
No other Sixer was among the finalists announced Friday night before the final two games of the NBAs play-in tournament.
Embiid and the Sixers will kick off the playoffs Saturday afternoon, hosting the Nets in Game 1 of their first-round series.
