Sixers fans react to Joel Embiid being 'robbed' of MVP after Nikola Jokic wins
Philadelphia 76ers fans set Twitter ablaze on Monday morning after ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets had won his second straight MVP over the Sixers' own Joel Embiid.
The argument for Jokic winning MVP was mostly that advanced stats say he's better than Embiid (though Embiid wasn't too far behind in several categories). Sixers beat writer Keith Pompey summed up the argument for Embiid as MVP perfectly.
Joel Embiid’s presence last night, even on a subpar shooting night, was one of the reasons I voted him MVP. The Sixers are a completely different team when he plays.
— Keith Pompey (@PompeyOnSixers) May 7, 2022
Even though voting takes place before the playoffs, Sixers fans were even more annoyed that Embiid was denied the MVP since he's been playing through both a torn thumb ligament and a broken orbital in Round 2 against the Miami Heat while Jokic and the Nuggets were bounced in Round 1. Philly fans are obviously a bit biased, but they have a legitimate reason to be angry. And when Sixers fans get angry, it's brutal — but also extremely entertaining.
Jokic: I literally do not care about basketball or anything that comes with it. I threw my MVP trophy in the Adriatic Sea.
Embiid: I will play with one eye and zero thumbs if I need to.
League deciding which player it wants to champion: What do the computers say?— Adam Hermann (@adamwhermann) May 9, 2022
Let’s see the ballot so we can properly recognize which NBA media members completely destroyed their credibility by not voting for Joel Embiid and proving they don’t know a lick about basketball. https://t.co/QUFjZ0A1wo
— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) May 9, 2022
Jokic voters pic.twitter.com/936uupu6Lh
— Tyler Furfero (@TylerFurfero) May 9, 2022
You can throw whatever Stat you want out there. At no point in this season was Jokic more dominant than Embiid.
— Jonathan L. Brown (@JLBfromDVM) May 9, 2022
Advanced stats say Jokic is better.
Common sense and logic say Embiid makes his entire team better every time he plays and the Sixers would be NOWHERE near as successful without him.
But sure. https://t.co/9G5Z8kugJ8— Brooke Destra (@TheBrookeDestra) May 9, 2022
Eye Test = Joel Embiid for MVP!!!
Analytics = Jokic for MVP!!!
I’m glad I rolled with the EYE TEST on my vote.
Carry the hell on…— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) May 9, 2022
Whatever.
Joel Embiid is 𝙤𝙪𝙧 MVP.
Let's go get the real hardware. pic.twitter.com/3CFLM8Zz8L— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) May 9, 2022
Has to be so embarrassing to wake up today knowing you voted for Jokic to win MVP over Embiid
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) May 9, 2022
If @wojespn sources are right, then you can also expect an investigation from me since @JoelEmbiid was robbed. https://t.co/o9gDgjmY4I
— Josh Shapiro (@JoshShapiroPA) May 9, 2022
Everyone is gonna look back and feel the same about Jokic and Embiid.
Robbed pic.twitter.com/x3tTENNcgF— Sixers Nation (@PHLSixersNation) May 9, 2022
NBA has made a egregious mistake giving Jokic the MVP over Embiid. Embiid has kept the 76ers from imploding all season by himself. If that isn’t Most Valuable Player I do not know what is ..
— Mello Styles (@MelloStylesTV) May 9, 2022
Embiid is probably not happy that he was denied the MVP, but he's still laser focused on getting the Sixers a Larry O'Brien championship trophy. If you want to feel bad for anyone, feel bad for the Heat. They're the ones who will have to defend a pissed off Embiid as he throws down 40-plus points and plays like the MVP-caliber star he is.