Philadelphia 76ers’ centre Joel Embiid has been named the most valuable player of the NBA’s 2022-23 season.
Embiid, a 29-year-old Cameroonian, received 73 first-place votes, with Denver Nuggets’ two-time MVP Nikola Jokic coming in second with 19 votes.
Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was third. Embiid won his second consecutive NBA scoring title in the regular season, averaging a career-high of 33.1 points per game.
The 76ers’ six-time All-Star missed their last two games, including Monday’s victory over the Boston Celtics in the first game of their Eastern Conference semi-final, due to a knee ligament sprain. He is only the second African player to be crowned MVP, after Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1993-94 season.
This marks the fifth consecutive season that an international player has won the award, which was renamed the Michael Jordan Trophy in December.
In the Western Conference semi-final, the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Golden State Warriors 117-112 in the opening game. Anthony Davis led the 17-time champions with 30 points and 23 rebounds, while LeBron James recorded a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds.
Although the Lakers had opened up a 14-point lead with less than six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Warriors came back strongly, drawing level at 112-112 with just over 90 seconds to go. The Lakers then held off the Warriors, with Dennis Schroder’s free throws securing a 1-0 series lead for the Lakers.
Game two of the best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday. In the Eastern Conference semi-finals, the New York Knicks tied their series against the Miami Heat at 1-1 with a 111-105 win in game two.
The Knicks’ Jalen Brunson scored 30 points, while Julius Randle made 25 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists. Miami’s Jimmy Butler missed the game due to a sprained ankle, with Caleb Martin leading the Heat with 22 points.
