Embiid becomes 1st center in 22 years to capture scoring title

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid officially clinched the 2021-22 NBA scoring title after the Milwaukee Bucks ruled out Giannis Antetokounmpo ahead of their regular-season finale versus the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Antetokounmpo had a slim chance of leapfrogging Embiid. The Greek Freak needed to outscore Embiid by 47 points if the latter suited up Sunday or record at least 78 points if the 76ers star sat out, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

Embiid posted a career-high 30.6 points per contest this season, edging the reigning Finals MVP by 0.7 points. The five-time All-Star is the first center since Shaquille O'Neal in 1999-2000 to lead the Association in scoring. The Hall of Famer averaged 29.7 points that year. Moses Malone was the last center to drop 30 points per game, accomplishing the feat during the 1981-82 season with the Houston Rockets.

Wilt Chamberlain and Allen Iverson are the only other players in 76ers history to finish atop the league's scoring leaderboard. Iverson won his fourth and final scoring title with Philadelphia during the 2004-05 campaign.

LeBron James was also in hot pursuit of Embiid but didn't register enough appearances to qualify.

Embiid had 40 games of 30 points or more this season, including a career-high-tying 50 in January against the Orlando Magic. His 46 double-doubles were tied for the fourth-most behind Nikola Jokic, Rudy Gobert, and Jonas Valanciunas.