76ers' James Harden Surprises Joel Embiid with Rolex as Gift for Winning NBA MVP

Philadelphia 76ers star guard James Harden surprised teammate Joel Embiid with a special gift Wednesday after Embiid was named NBA MVP on Tuesday.

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweeted video of Harden giving Embiid a Rolex watch that has "23 MVP" engraved on the back:

After years of publicly discussing his desire to be named MVP, Embiid finally accomplished the feat Tuesday when he beat out two-time NBA MVP and Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić for the honor.

Despite winning the league's scoring title for the first time in his career last season, Embiid finished second to Jokić in last year's MVP race. The 29-year-old won his second straight scoring title this season, averaging a career-high 33.1 points per game.

Embiid also averaged 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 steal and 1.0 three-pointer made, plus he shot a career-best 54.8 percent from the field.

Embiid's Sixers went 54-28, securing the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Nuggets were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference, but they finished one game behind the 76ers in terms of overall record.

Embiid has missed the Sixers' past two playoff games with a LCL sprain, but the Sixers closed out a first-round sweep of the Brooklyn Nets without him, and they took a 1-0 series lead over the Boston Celtics in the second round as well. The driving force behind Philly's Game 1 win over Boston was Harden, who led all scorers with 45 points.

While the 76ers have had some success without Embiid, they need the MVP to return soon to have a legitimate chance at making a deep playoff run and winning a championship.

According to The Athletic and Stadium's Shams Charania, Embiid informed his teammates Tuesday night that he plans to return for Game 2.

The combination of Embiid and Harden is one of the best remaining in the playoffs, and they give the Sixers a legitimate chance to win their first NBA title since 1983.