Cameroonian Joel Embiid became the second African in history to be named the best player (MVP) of the regular season of the North American Basketball Championship (NBA), reports AFP.

Joel EmbiidPhoto: Derik Hamilton/AP/Profimedia

Joel Embiid, NBA regular season MVP

Embiid achieved this achievement 29 years after one of his idols, the Nigerian Hakeem Olajuwon.

“I don’t know where to start, because the road was long, I went through so much, there was a lot of work. And I’m not just talking about basketball. I’m glad to be here” – Joel Embiid on the show “NBA on TNT”.

The Philadelphia 76ers center was also a finalist in 2021 and 2022 for the trophy, renamed the Michael Jordan, each time beating out Serbian Nikola Jokic.

For his part, Jokic (Denver Nuggets), who finished second this year, will not join the select club of players named MVP three years in a row that includes Bill Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird.

Greek Yannis Antetokounmpo, laureate of 2019 and 2020, took third place.

The success rewards the continued progress of Embiid, who has finished as the league’s leading scorer the past two seasons. In the 2022/2023 season, he averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Beyond the numbers, the 2.13m, 127kg center was rewarded for making a significant impact on the 76ers, who finished the regular season in third place.

A sprained right knee kept him from helping his team in the playoffs, even if he could return to the floor this week in the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Boston Celtics (1-0).

Bringing Joel Embiid to the record fifth consecutive year of this prestigious award dedicates a non-American player and extends the hegemony of versatile players previously represented by Jokic and Antetokounmpo.

The 29-year-old Cameroonian, dominant in attack and a significant force in defense, is often compared to Hakeem Olajuwon, one of the best centers in history, the 1994 and 1995 NBA champion and his role model, writes Agerpres.