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Basketball

Joel Embiid Makes NBA History with His Very First Scoring Title

The Philadelphia 76ers faced many obstacles this season, but they managed to stay on top of their game thanks to Joel Embiid. The team’s big man is finally getting credit where credit’s due, as he became the NBA scoring champion, and his achievement is historic for more reasons than one. Embiid is the first center since Shaquille O'Neal in 2000 to win the NBA scoring title, and also the first since Moses Malone in 1982 to average 30 points per game. His scoring title is also historic since he’s the first international-born player to take it home since he was originally born in Cameroon. Embiid took the top spot with 30.6 points per game, and he was closely followed by Giannis Antetokounmpo, who averaged 29.9 points per game. They had a strong competition in LeBron James with 30.3 points per game, but he failed to qualify for the scoring title since he didn’t pass the 58-game threshold. Following his scoring title triumph, Embiid remains one of the strongest candidates for the MVP title, and Sixers coach Doc Rivers believes that his performance speaks for itself. “I don’t do a lot of campaigning, and I’m not going to sit here and do a whole bunch. I think Joel has campaigned enough with his play. He really has. I don’t think people realize how hard it is for a center to lead the NBA in scoring,” said Rivers.