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Embiid Named KIA Eastern Conference Player of the Month

PHILADELPHIA – FEB. 1, 2019 – The NBA announced today that Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid was named Kia NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Month for January. This is the first time Embiid has received the honor and he becomes the first 76er to win the award since Hall Famer Allen Iverson in April 2005. He joins Iverson (four times) along with Hall of Famers Charles Barkley (twice), Julius Erving (three) and Moses Malone (twice) as the only players in franchise history to receive the honor since its inception in 1979-80.

Embiid led the 76ers to an 11-4 month, including six wins over teams whose records are currently .500-or-better, four of which came on the road. The month saw Embiid average 29.2 points, 13.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.0 block per game, while shooting .488 from the field and .804 from the free-throw line.

Embiid matched his season high in points with 42 in addition to grabbing 18 rebounds at Phoenix on Jan. 2, good for one of his Eastern Conference-best four games with at least 40 points and 10 rebounds. A week later (Jan. 9), he would put up 34 points and 14 rebounds in a 17-point victory over Washington, marking the team’s fourth straight win.

The Cameroon native then began a stretch from Jan. 15-23 where he recorded four 30-10 games across five contests. Two of these performances came against a pair of Western Conference teams who are a combined 17 games over .500 in Houston and San Antonio. Against the Rockets (Jan. 21), he had 32 points and 14 rebounds, while the 76ers’ matchup with the Spurs (Jan. 23) saw him lead all players in points (33) and rebounds (19).

Embiid wrapped up the month with 26 points and 20 rebounds on the road in a victory over Golden State that snapped Philadelphia’s 10-game losing streak to the Warriors and provided the team with its first win in Oakland since Dec. 31, 2011. At the end of January, the recently named All-Star starter had totaled 11 double-doubles (tied for the most in the East), with five of them including 30-plus points.

Overall, Embiid holds season averages of 27.2 points, 13.4 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.9 blocks in 33.4 minutes per game, while shooting .485 from the field and .802 from the free-throw line. He leads the NBA with 42 double-doubles this season and has the second-most 30-point games in the league with 22.