It’s a big disappointment for French basketball fans and a snub for the French team which had been trying to attract him for two years. Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has given up on France and chosen to defend the colors of the United States for the 2024 Olympic basketball tournament. “On the roof of the world,” the NBA club wrote Thursday in its message on
Embiid, 29 years old and who has three passports (Cameroonian, his country of birth, French and American), has however not officially confirmed his choice. The player, named MVP (best player) of last season in the North American championship, confirmed his decision early Thursday to the executive director of “Team USA”, Grant Hill, according to the American sports channel ESPN.
During the day dedicated to discussions with the media on Monday, he admitted to being faced with “a difficult choice”, even though he had been keeping the suspense going for several months. “I was born in Cameroon, I always wanted to represent my country. But the goal is also to play in the Olympic Games,” said the player, while Cameroon will play a qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games without being sure of participating, unlike France or the United States.
Gold at the Games and nothing else
In opting for “Team USA,” Embiid joins a list of NBA superstars who have announced their intention to compete in the Olympics, as the Americans attempt to recover from their FIBA World Cup fiasco in August.
Arriving in Asia with a rejuvenated team deprived of a dominant pivot, the United States failed at the foot of the podium after their defeat against Canada, two days after that suffered against Germany, future champion. This failure was experienced as a humiliation across the Atlantic.
France was eliminated in the first round of the competition. French leaders, who had been courting the Yaoundé-born kingpin for two years, indicated after the fiasco that they wanted to “quickly resolve” the Embiid file.
Among the stars tipped to lead the Americans to Paris-2024 are former MVPs LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. They recently said they want to be part of the U.S. team that will attempt to win a fifth straight Olympic gold medal.
In addition to these megastars, other major NBA players such as Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell have said they are ready to join an Olympic selection next year, giving birth to the dream of a new “Dream Team » like that of the Barcelona Games in 1992, grouped around Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Enough to draw a frightening selection, starters and replacements combined, especially with Joel Embiid in his ranks in the crucial pivot position.