76ers' Joel Embiid captures 1st NBA Most Valuable Player award

Philadelphia 76ers centre and league scoring champion Joel Embiid earned his first NBA MVP trophy Tuesday night, edging two-time winner Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets.

Jokic finished runner-up and Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks was third.

Embiid has been determined to win — and campaigned for — the MVP trophy for years. The third overall pick of the 2014 draft, Embiid missed his first two full seasons with injuries before settling in as one of the top big men of his generation. He was at his best this season when he totalled three 50-point games, including a career-high 59 against Utah in November. He had 13 total 40-point games.

MVP