Through the Phog
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Joel Embiid becomes first Jayhawk since Wilt Chamberlain to win NBA MVP

By Dillon Davis

PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 17: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 17: Joel Embiid #21 of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts against the Brooklyn Nets during Game Two of the Eastern Conference First Round Playoffs at the Wells Fargo Center on April 17, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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It’s been 55 years since a former Kansas basketball player took home the NBA Most Valuable Player award. Today, that decades-long streak has finally come to an end.

Joel Embiid, who played at KU for one year during the 2013-14 season before being drafted third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers, was just announced as this year’s MVP recipient by NBA media members.

The Sixers center led the league in scoring during the regular season – for the second year in a row – with an average of 33.1 points per game. He’s the first center to lead the league in scoring in back-to-back seasons since Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo did it while with the Buffalo Braves (now the Los Angeles Clippers) in the 1970s.

Embiid also finished in the top 10 in blocks (1.7) and rebounds (10.2) per game this season. His play earned him his sixth-consecutive All-Star nomination.

Embiid beat out fellow NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and two-time reigning MVP Nikola Jokic for the league’s top honor.

The recognition is well deserved, but likely bittersweet for Embiid who has finished runner-up to Jokic each of the past two seasons.

Embiid is the first 76er to win the award since Allen Iverson in 2001.

Legacy cemented

Embiid is the first former Jayhawk since Wilt Chamberlain in 1968 to win the league’s top honor. Chamberlain accomplished that feat in three consecutive seasons (1965-68) while also playing for the Sixers.

Only 10 players in history have had their jerseys hung in the rafters at Wells Fargo Center, the home of the 76ers. And with this award, Embiid will certainly one day see his number hanging alongside the likes of Chamberlain, Iverson, Dr. J and others.

To be named in the same conversation with Wilt, one of basketball’s all-time icons, is an accomplishment in itself. And with this award, Embiid has solidified himself as one of the most accomplished former Kansas Jayhawks in NBA history.

Since joining the NBA in 2014, Embiid has racked up numerous awards.

In his first season, he was named to the All-Rookie First Team. He’s also a three-time All-Defensive Second Team selection and a four-time All-NBA Second Team selection.

If Embiid can continue on this path and eventually win an NBA championship, he’ll no doubt one day be in the Naismith Hall of Fame – joining the company of James Naismith, Chamberlain, and so many other Kansas legends.

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