Stephen A. Smith said he gave his 2022 NBA Most Valuable Player award vote to Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid.
"I had to give my vote to Joel Embiid," Smith said on ESPN's First Take on Wednesday. "I understood there was a slight hiccup once James Harden arrived, so I paid attention to that. And in those first few games that James Harden arrived, [Embiid] still had 34, 37, 27, and two 22 point games. Last 15 games or so: 43, 27, 35, 34, 35, 32, had a 21 point game, right? 30, 27, 37, 29, 37, 29, 44, 45, 30, 41. That's what Joel Embiid is doing. Sixers, limited bench, top 10 defense. We know [Nikola] Jokic don't play defense like Joel Embiid."
Smith said he agonized over the difficult decision, waiting until two hours before the deadline to cast his vote. Smith acknowledged the excellence of the other top MVP contenders in Giannis Antetokounmpo, Devin Booker, and the aforementioned Jokic.
According to VegasInsider.com, Jokic—who won the award last year—is the current favorite at -380, while Embiid is listed at +265. Antetokounmpo is +800, while Booker is a distant fourth at +7500.
