Philadelphia 76ers’ red, white and blue won’t be the only colors Joel Embiid will be wearing in the near future.
The reigning NBA MVP committed to playing for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics, ESPN reported.
The decision had been made Thursday morning just days after Embiid met with Team USA executive director Grant Hill and ended an intense recruiting battle for Ebiid’s services.
Embiid was born in Cameroon and holds citizenship in the United States and France, but had been torn about which he’d represent at the upcoming summer games.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne indicated during an appearance on the network that had Cameroon qualified for the Olympics already he would have chosen to play for them.
“But they’re not qualified and it’s no sure thing for them to be one of the last four teams in,” she said.
Embiid even indicated that himself during the Sixers’ media day on Monday.
“I have three options,” Embiid said. “My goal is to play in the Olympics. I love all three options. Cameroon, I’m born there, I’m from there and I always want to represent my country. But the goal is also to play in the Olympics. If we had a chance or if we were qualified for the Olympics, that would be an easy decision, but that’s still up in the air — and I really do want to play in the Olympics.”
Ultimately what seemed to have swayed Embiid’s decision was the commitment of so many past NBA MVPs to team up next year in Paris to play for the US and his own desire to help restore American basketball atop the international basketball world.
The United States failed to medal at the FIBA World Cup, marking the first time since 1970 the Americans missed out on the podium in back-to-back tournaments.
“It’s exciting for USA Basketball that Joel Embiid wants to represent the United States,” Hill told ESPN in a statement. “Joel and I have had several conversations about his goals and I’m looking forward to continuing that dialogue knowing that one of those goals is to represent USA Basketball next summer in Paris.
“As I’ve said before, I’m looking forward to the process of building the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team roster over the next several months.”
Embiid is also hoping to win gold at the Paris games in front of his 3-year-old son, who was born in the United States, according to ESPN.
The addition of Embiid will give the United States a boost to whatever roster Hill compiles ahead of next year’s Summer Olympics.
Embiid is a three-time All-Defensive team selection, two-time scoring champ and six-time All-Star over the course of his NBA career.
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