Joel Embiid officially chose to play for Team USA in the 2024 Paris Olympics on Wednesday, which surprised some fans as he picked the United States over France and Cameroon, where he also holds citizenship.
The 76ers star detailed the personal reason as to why he’ll be sporting a Team USA uniform next year.
“My son is American, and you add that to the fact that I’ve been here for such a long time, I feel like for the past few years this has been more every decision has been based off of family,” Embiid said, via PHLY Sports.
Embiid on his Team USA decision: “My son is American, and you add that to the fact that I’ve been here for such a long time, I feel like for the past few years this has been more every decision has been based off of family.”
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) October 5, 2023
A fun Mo Bamba cameo here as well: pic.twitter.com/YOdk3NUiiE
The reigning NBA MVP admitted it was a “tough decision” for him as he loves his home country of Cameroon.
Embiid was born in Yaoundé, Cameroon. He obtained his citizenship from France in July 2022 because he has family there, followed by obtaining his United States citizenship in Sept. 2022.
I’m really proud and excited about this decision. It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France, and the USA home. After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA. I want to play with my brothers in the league. I want to play for my fans because they’ve… pic.twitter.com/6VHSQTKVl3
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) October 5, 2023
