Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has never played in the Olympics–but he’s reportedly considering doing so in 2024, and not for his native Cameroon.
According to French TV and radio network RMC Sport, Embiid is considering changing his nationality in order to compete for the French national basketball team at the 2024 games in Paris.
“It’s not the first time that Embiid, a Cameroon native who has family in France, has considered playing for France,” writes the Philadelphia Inquirer. “He has never played for Cameroon, though the country has tried to get him to.
“FIBA, global basketball’s governing body, allows one naturalized player per squad, and France — whose doesn’t have one right now.”
Process this: Joel Embiid, a Cameroon native, changing his nationality to play for France. https://t.co/eFh5ilPIds pic.twitter.com/kNMXFw08mV
— The Philadelphia Inquirer (@PhillyInquirer) May 2, 2022
France already has several NBA players on its roster, including Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicholas Batum. During the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, France beat the United States during the group stage and lost a hard-fought 87-82 rematch with the Americans in the gold medal game.
Adding Embiid to an already well-stocked team could be the difference between France earning a silver or bronze medal in 2024, or winning it all and capturing the gold medal in front of their home fans.
For now, Embiid will miss the first two games of the 76ers’ second-round series against Miami after fracturing his orbital bone and suffering a concussion in the series clincher against Toronto. The hope is that the center is back for Game 3 in Philadelphia.
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