06 October 2023 , 18:05
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Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid has confirmed his commitment to represent Team USA internationally ahead of next summer's Olympics.
Embiid has never previously played international basketball. Despite being called up by the Cameroon national team in 2017 for FIBA AfroBasket he did not compete at the tournament and has, therefore, remained eligible to represent other countries.
Last July, Embiid was granted French citizenship, with it stated at the time that his "naturalization is of exceptional interest". A month later, he got sworn in as an American citizen over a decade after arriving in the United States as a 16-year-old to play high school basketball.
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Ultimately, it is where he currently works and resides that he has pledged to play for at the 2024 Olympics. "I’m really proud and excited about this decision," Embiid said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France, and the USA home.
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"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 been incredible since the day I came here.
"But most of all, I want to honor my son who was born in the US. I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him."
Embiid plans to play international basketball for the first time at the Olympics next summer as part of Team USA (Getty Images)His son played a significant part in Embiid becoming a US citizen in the first place. "I've been here for a long time," Embiid told The Associated Press late last September.
"My son is American. I felt like, I'm living here, and it's a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?" And playing at the Games has been a previously stated aim of his. "My goal is to play in the Olympics," Embiid said before deciding.
"I love all three options. Cameroon — I [was] born there. I'm from there, and I always want to represent my country. … 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 then the USA, obviously, they've been struggling the last couple of years, trying to get back on the top. And you've also got France, who's up and coming.
"I'm just thankful that I'm able to be in that situation. It is a tough choice, but I'm probably going to make that decision in the next few days."
That he did, and the center now joins Kevin Durant as the two 100% commitals. The Phoenix Suns forward said, "I will play in the Olympics next year," at the team's media day on Monday. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James also admitted to having "a lot of interest in playing in Paris." However, he stopped short of committing at this stage.