“If someone tells you that they don’t care, that’s bulls**t” – Joel Embiid admits craving for MVP award
Joel Embiid has come up short in MVP voting in back-to-back years. Although Nikola Jokic continues to impress, many feel that Embiid is more deserving this season.
Joel Embiid has put together some incredible performances for the 76ers, including a 52-point effort against the Boston Celtics. As a result, the MVP race has become an even bigger debate topic. NBA fans are split on who is more deserving of the award.
On one hand, you have Nikola Jokic. He helped lead the Denver Nuggets to the best record in the Western Conference. If he wins, he would become just the fourth player in NBA history to achieve an MVP three-peat. At the same time, many feel that Giannis Antetokounmpo deserves the award. He helped lead the Milwaukee Bucks to the best record in the league.
Then there's Embiid. His Philadelphia 76ers finished third in the Eastern Conference. According to Embiid, any player that says they don't care about winning the award is flat-out lying. He spoke about the topic in a recent interview with Rachel Nichols:
"I think 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. But if I were to win it, it would be- 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 bulls**t"
You can see his comments in the video below:
Joel Embiid admits he cares about winning MVP
(Via @shobasketball & @Rachel__Nichols) https://t.co/JmDTOYj8e6
Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, and one highly controversial MVP race
Of course, this year's MVP race has been incredibly controversial. Many believe that Jokic, Embiid and Antetekounmpo are all deserving of the award.
NBA analyst Kendrick Perkins went as far as to claim that Jokic is only getting MVP attention because of his race. He also accused Jokic of stat padding.
JJ Redick was quick to respond to Perkins' claims. Redick believes that Jokic doesn't care about winning the MVP award. If he did, he would have forced Nuggets coach Mike Malone to play him more minutes, even in blowouts.
According to Embiid, anyone who doesn't care about the MVP voting is lying. Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has remained focused on winning another title, agrees with Embiid's assessment.
We will have to wait until after the NBA playoffs to figure out which player wins the MVP. Will it be Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo? Only time will tell.