Joel Embiid asks 'what else I have to do' to win MVP, says all energy now focused on 'bigger picture' of helping Philadelphia 76ers win NBA title

MIAMI — Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid congratulated Nikola Jokic on winning the NBA Most Valuable Player Award for a second straight season, adding Tuesday night that there was «no right or wrong» answer among several deserving candidates.

But Embiid also said that, going forward, he'll steer his focus toward only «the bigger picture» — winning a championship.

«No,» Embiid said, when asked if he was surprised when ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported Monday that Jokic would again win the award. «I mean, this is something that I knew weeks ago, even probably two weeks before the season ended, after those games against whether it was Denver and Milwaukee, and when [ESPN did its] straw poll or whatever. I just knew it wasn't gonna happen.

»Obviously, congrats to Nikola. He deserved it. He had an amazing season. There's no right or wrong. There was a lot of candidates. It could have gone either way. Giannis (Antetokounmpo), Devin Booker, being on the best team in the league, by far. So, I guess, every year is all about whatever you guys decide, whatever fits the narrative as far as who's gonna win."

Embiid was one of three finalists for the award for a second straight year, after putting together arguably the best season of his career — an NBA-best 30.6 points per game, along with 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists in a career-high 68 games.

«I'm not mad,» Embiid said of not winning MVP (the NBA is expected to make a formal announcement on the winner later this week). «That's two years in a row I put myself in that position. It didn't happen. It is almost like, at this point, it is whatever. Whatever happens, happens.

»Last year, I campaigned about it. This year, I answered questions when I was asked, and in the next few