Sixers' Joel Embiid, James Harden make history in first full season together
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- In their first full season playing alongside each other, Joel Embiid and James Harden have accomplished a feat no NBA duo has done in just over 40 years.
Embiid and Harden became the first teammates in the NBA to be the scoring champ and assists leader since George Gervin and Johnny Moore did with the San Antonio Spurs in the 1981-82 season.
Both Embiid and Harden rested Sunday in the Sixers' regular season finale vs. the Brooklyn Nets ahead of the playoffs.
Embiid won the scoring title for the second straight season, averaging a league-best 33.1 points per game, which is also a career-high. He won the scoring title last season averaging 30.6 points per game.
Embiid edged Dallas' Luka Doncic, Portland's Damian Lillard and others to repeat as the scoring champ.
Embiid shot 54% from the field and had a true shooting percentage of 65% -- both career highs in what could become an MVP season for the big man out of Kanas.
Embiid is the first player to repeat as a scoring champ since Harden did it three straight seasons from 2017-2020 with the Houston Rockets.
Embiid also became the first center and international player to repeat as a scoring champ since the NBA/ABA merger. Bob McAdoo was the last center to repeat as scoring champ when he did it three straight times with the Buffalo Braves from 1973-76.
Former Sixers guard and Hall of Famer Allen Iverson was the last Philadelphia player to win the scoring champ in consecutive seasons in the early 2000s. He's won the scoring title four times -- 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2005.
Wilt Chamberlain also repeated as scoring champ in back-to-back years with the 76ers from 1964-66.
Harden, who averaged 10.7 assists this season, was also the NBA's assist leader during the 2016-2017 season
Harden joined former teammate Russell Westbrook as the only players in NBA history with multiple scoring and assist titles.
Harden beat out Atlanta's Trae Young and Denver's Nikola Jokic to be the NBA's assists leader.