- Embiid was born in Cameroon, educated in the US and now plays for Philadelphia
- He was granted French citizenship in July 2022 and US citizenship two months later
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
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Joel Embiid is reportedly planning to represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, spurning not only host nation France but also his native Cameroon.
The seven-foot-tall center of the Philadelphia 76ers became a French citizen in July 2022 and then received American citizenship in September last year.
Embiid’s decision was first reported by The Shams Charania of athletics.
The news is certainly welcome for Team USA, who finished a dismal fourth place at the 2023 FIBA World Cup with Walker Kessler and Jaren Jackson Jr. in the middle.
Now 29, Embiid has spent his adult life in the United States, first as a dominant collegiate center for the Kansas Jayhawks and then as a franchise cornerstone for the 76ers.
Joel Embiid reportedly plans to represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
“I’ve lived here for a long time,” Embiid told The Associated Press of how he became a U.S. citizen in the fall of 2022.
‘My son is American. I felt like: I live here and it’s a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?’
The US will attempt to win its fifth consecutive gold medal in Paris next summer. Embiid is expected to comment on his decision later Thursday at the 76ers’ training camp in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Embiid joins a long list of top NBA players hoping or planning to play for the US next summer, including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker and many more.