Think of all the awards that are doled out over the course of an NBA season. They possess prestige, they’re symbols that mark excellence for players and coaches, and in some circumstances, winning some kind of an award (whether it’s a trophy or being named to an All-something team) leads to being compensated a little more cash, too.
One such award to which that first paragraph does not apply in any way, shape, or form is the Shaqtin’ MVP, given annually to the MVP of TNT’s beloved Shaqtin’ A Fool segment. Last year, the “honor” happened to go to the person who was named the league MVP, Russell Westbrook.
We learned who was named the 2017-18 MVP on Tuesday night, and in the closest vote in the history of the award, Joel Embiid won, receiving 58 percent of the vote over the other finalist, LeBron James.
And the 2017-2018 #Shaqtin MVP is… pic.twitter.com/wmNhvOjnIU
— Shaqtin' a Fool (@shaqtin) June 13, 2018
Embiid earned the title of the silliest player in the NBA this season, whether it was due to the various on-court hijinks which became a hallmark of his game or because of his off-court shenanigans. It’s good to see the voters recognized this and decided to vote him the 2017-18 Shaqtin’ MVP.
At this point, Embiid can only hope that James does not have any ill will towards him for snatching away such a prestigious honor, because if he did, maybe that would hurt the Sixers’ chances of landing James in free agency. Also: It would be extremely funny if that happened over the Shaqtin’ MVP, so despite the fact that it absolutely will not happen, hopefully that occurs.
