76ers' Joel Embiid Calls 'Bulls--t' on Players Claiming They Don't Care About NBA MVP

Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid is the presumptive favorite to take home his first NBA MVP award this season, and he recently revealed why winning it would mean so much to him.

While speaking to Rachel Nichols on the premiere episode of Headliners With Rachel Nichols, Embiid explained that he doesn't believe other players who say they aren't driven to win MVP, because he knows how much work it takes to be in consideration for the award:

"One thing I'll say is that if people tell you 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," he said. "But 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 it 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."

It's a bit of a change in tune for Embiid from earlier this season, as he was asked about the MVP race after a win over the Dallas Mavericks and fellow MVP candidate Luka Dončić and he said, "I don't care. Like I said, it's all about the playoffs."

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokić, who beat out Embiid for MVP in each of the past two seasons, also recently said he doesn't concern himself with postseason awards at this stage.

However, after Embiid led the league with 33.1 points per game this season while also making a major impact on the defensive end for Philadelphia, it looks like he will finally upend Jokić for the coveted award.