Edwin Kiplagat

updated at May 9, 2023 at 10:47 AM

• Joel Embiid nearly quit the NBA after the death of his 13-year-old brother Arthur
• The Philadelphia 76ers star revealed he had to keep pushing on after the tragedy
• Embiid has become one of the best in the league since, culminating in an MVP win

Philadelphia 76ers center, Joel Embiid recently revealed he nearly retired from the NBA after the tragic death of his brother, Arthur.

Embiid entered the league with odds stacked against him, but the death of his teenage sibling had a profound impact on him. His MVP win showed how hard he had to work to reach this point in his career.

The 29-year-old was named MVP on April 2, garnering 73 of 100 first-place votes to finish ahead of Denver Nuggets center, Nikola Jokic, who had beaten Embiid for the award in each of the past two seasons, per ESPN.

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He is the second African player to win the award after Hakeem Olajuwon in 1994. Moreover, he was the first player from the Basketball Without Borders program to win MVP.

Embiid started playing basketball at 15 and missed his first two seasons in the NBA because of injuries, but has since blossomed into one of the best players in the league.

Embiid's difficult journey

In a personal essay, Players' Tribune, Embiid spoke about how the untimely death of Arthur had affected him.

The 13-year-old was tragically killed in his native Cameroon in 2014, just months after the Sixers star was drafted. His death left an indelible mark on Embiid.

"Just like that, my brother was gone. He was so full of life, and somehow he was just gone. Nobody could believe it. It was a shock to our whole family, and honestly it's something we're still dealing with."

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As he recovered from injury, Arthur's death made him consider retirement.

"With Arthur gone, I felt like I hadlost my purpose in life. I really just wanted to quit the game and go back home to Cameroon to be with my family. And, you know, it's not like a movie where someone sat me down and had some conversation with me, or I picked up a basketball and all of a sudden everything was O.K."

He said he had to keep working despite the pain in his heart because his brother would be proud of him.

International winners of NBA MVP

Sports Brief earlier reported international winners of the MVP award following Embiid's recent success.

On Tuesday, the 76ers star made history, becoming the sixth NBA player born outside of the USA to win.

Others on the list include Hakeem Olajuwon - the first international MVP - Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki.