Joel Embiid Sees Off Giannis, LeBron For NBA Scoring Title
By Connor Lynch
76ers center Joel Embiid is the first international player to claim the NBA scoring title as the regular season concludes.
Joel Embiid is also the first center to win the NBA scoring title since Shaquille O’Neal in 1999-2000.
The Cameroon-born superstar’s title was confirmed shortly before the final regular season games began. His biggest competition, Giannis Antetokounmpo, was injured for Milwaukee’s season finale against Cleveland.
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Joel Embiid averaged 30.6 points per game this year, with Giannis trailing behind at 29.9.
LeBron James would have been in second place with 30.3 PPG this year. However, he only played 56 games this year, two below the threshold of 58 needed to qualify for the season-ending awards.
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The scoring title isn’t the only record Embiid set this season. He played the fewest minutes ever by a scoring champion, his 33.8 minutes per game surpassing Stephen Curry’s mark of 34.2 minutes from the 2016-16 season as well as last season.
Embiid also became the first center to average over 30 points in a season since Moses Malone in 1982.
