There has been a lot of discourse and animosity when it comes to the MVP debate in the 2022-23 season. The award is once gain coming down to Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid and Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.

The NBA world was robbed of that matchup on Monday in Denver when the Sixers decided to sit Embiid as he has been dealing with calf tightness. As a result, the Nuggets came away with a 116-111 win as Jokic had 25 points, 17 rebounds, and 12 assists.

While Embiid and Jokic may be rivals on the floor, they have a friendship off of it. Jokic had nothing but great things to say about what Embiid brings to the table as, per The Philadelphia Inquirer, he said this about Embiid:

“I think he’s a great player,” Jokić said. “I think he’s gonna be remembered as one of the most dominant players in the league. The guy’s a beast and he’s so talented. He can affect in many ways on the floor. He can post up; he can face up; he can shoot threes. He can defend really well. He can in some situations guard one through five.

“So he’s really, I think he’s a really, really good player.”

It’s obvious these two amazing players respect each other. Embiid has always had nothing but great things to say about Jokic and vice versa and how could they not? The talent that both players bring to the table is impressive and the Sixers and the Nuggets are in positions to contend for a title because of these two leading the way for their respective teams.