Joel Embiid gets second snub of the year, does not win Eastern Conference Player of the Month in January

The NBA just handed out its January Players of the Month awards and as predicted, Joel Embiid, the guy averaging basically 30 a night in the East, got left standing outside in the cold.

The league picked Luka Dončić (West) and Jaylen Brown (East) as the January winners. This is nothing new. The NBA literally Hates The Process, so all we are dealing with now is another month where Joel Embiid got treated like a ghost.

Joel Embiid Month of January:

.@JoelEmbiid should win Eastern Conference player of the month in January…

Averaged 29.7 PPG, 8.4 RPG & 4.6 APG on 54/36/86 splits. Sixers were 10-4 with him. 0-3 without him. pic.twitter.com/HDU8Lfkc9h

— Drew Hanlen (@DrewHanlen) February 1, 2026

In January, Embiid put up 29.7 points, 8.4 rebounds, and 4.6 assists on 54/36/86 splits, and the Philadelphia 76ers were 10-4 with him and 0-3 without him. That is the exact résumé this award is supposed to reward. Dominance, efficiency, and a team that actually wins when he plays.

Then you look at the comparison people are yelling about, and it’s hard to argue with the frustration. Embiid, compared to Brown in January, had more points, more rebounds, the same assists, better shooting from the field, better from three, better at the line, and a better team record. Simple math, really.

Joel Embiid vs Jaylen Brown for January

How in the world was @JoelEmbiid not named January’s player of the month? pic.twitter.com/jmeCWRw1fU

— Drew Hanlen (@DrewHanlen) February 3, 2026

Snubbed: Joel Embiid not selected as a 2026 All-Star Reserve, despite being the best center in basketball

The annoying part is what this keeps turning into. Every time Joel Embiid starts stacking real, undeniable production, the league acts like it’s optional to acknowledge it. Like there’s this weird, unspoken rule where he has to be perfect, healthy, dominant, and morally approved by the internet before he can win anything that isn’t a meme.

I’m not even saying Boston Celtics fans should be mad at Brown, or Los Angeles Lakers fans should be mad at Luka. I’m saying the league is making it easier and easier for people to believe there’s a different standard for Joel Embiid. When your January looks like that and you still lose Player of the Month, what are we doing here?

At some point, the NBA has to decide if it’s going to judge awards on production or just their basic hate of The Process and Joel Embiid specifically. They still haven’t figured it out. Production is a no-brainer for Joel Embiid, but even acknowledging The Process is always a hard no. Go figure.

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