- Joel Embiid was granted French citizenship in 2022 ahead of the Olympic Games
- But he still chose to play for Team USA in Paris this summer
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Joel Embiid has been criticized by France national basketball team president Jean-Pierre Siutat for snubging Les Bleus for the US, calling the Sixers star’s decision “an easy way to get a medal.”
Embiid, who has lived in Philadelphia since 2014, is a US citizen and was also granted French citizenship through the naturalization process in 2022, with France believing he would play for them in the 2024 Olympics.
But after Les Bleus went through the ‘not easy’ process of securing Embiid’s (who was born in Cameroon) French citizenship, he left for the US later that year – a decision Siutat is apparently still bitter about.
“Team USA, with (Embiid), who can beat you? Come on, no one,” Siutat said The Athletics.
“This is an easy way for him to get an Olympic medal.”
Joel Embiid hasn’t played for the Sixers since Jan. 30 after undergoing meniscus surgery
French Basketball Federation President Jean-Pierre Siutat criticized Embiid for rejecting Les Bleus
Embiid hasn’t played since Jan. 30 after undergoing meniscus surgery.
This season he played only 34 games.
As noted by CBS SportsThe center position is already well filled for the French, with both Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama expected to play this summer.
Meanwhile, Bam Adebayo would likely start for the US if Embiid isn’t healthy by the summer.
With the NBA playoffs approaching next month and Embiid still sidelined, the Sixers are 38-31 and eighth in the Eastern Conference.