NBA Player Votes Joel Embiid MVP over Jokić: 'Don't Want' Somebody to Win 3 in a Row

Joel Embiid is the NBA MVP for the 2022-23 season—at least according to his fellow players.

Embiid received 50 percent of the vote in a poll of 102 players conducted by The Athletic, with Nikola Jokić coming in at just 25.5 percent. The battle between Embiid and Jokić was thought to be one of the most competitive races in NBA history, but the Philadelphia 76ers star appears to have pulled away down the stretch.

One player also pointed to not wanting to set a historic precedent of having Jokić win the award three times.

"To be honest, I just don't want to see somebody win three times in a row," the player said.

Jokić would be the first NBA player since Larry Bird to win three straight MVPs, a feat neither LeBron James nor Michael Jordan has ever accomplished. The Denver Nuggets center narrowly missed averaging a triple-double during the regular season, finishing with averages of 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists.

Embiid, meanwhile, led the NBA in scoring for the second straight season (33.1 PPG) while shooting a career-high 54.8 percent from the floor.

This should mark the third straight season Embiid and Jokić have been 1-2 in the MVP voting order.

Giannis Antetokounmpo finished in third place with 15.7 percent of the MVP vote but was overwhelmingly chosen as the player his fellow players would want to build around.