OLYMPIC GAMES
Why did Joel Embiid choose to play for USA Basketball and not France?
Embiid first touched down on American soil at the age of 16 after being discovered by Luc Mbah a Moute. He’ll be playing his first Olympics with Team USA after rejecting Cameroon.
Joel Embiid was born in Cameroon, speaks fluent French but possesses duel French and American passports and will be playing his first Olympic Games with Team USA at the 2024 Paris Games. The Americans have their hopes pinned on a fifth consecutive gold medal and the Philadelphia 76ers center is looking to be part of that select group.
He moved to the United States when he was still only 16 but despite never having lived in France, he was given the choice of representing three different nations at the 2024 Games. After much thought, Embiid decided on the one of his son Arthur’s nationality. As he himself explained, the reason he chose Team USA was so he could “win a gold medal in front of his three-year-old son, who was born in the United States.”
Embiid made Olympic decision for his son
“I’m really proud and excited about this decision. It hasn’t been easy. It wasn’t easy. I am fortunate to call Cameroon, France, and the USA my home. After discussions with my family, I knew my allegiance had to be with Team USA. I want to play with my brothers in the league. 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.”
Joel Embiid’s life in the United States
Embiid was discovered by Luc Mbah a Moute who organized his permanent move to the US. The Cameroonian attended high school at the Montverde Academy and The Rock School in Florida. At the university level, he played for a year with the Kansas Jayhawks, alongside Andrew Wiggins, before being drafted with the third overall pick in the 2014 Draft.
Since 2018, Embiid has been in a relationship with Brazilian model Anne de Paula and their son Arthur was born in September 2020. The center chose that name because he had a brother with the same name who sadly passed away in a car accident in 2014.
He was linked with France’s national team up until he made his decision last October. Embiid says he never made any promises to Team France, and much of the rumors stemmed from an interview he gave to a French newspaper six years ago, in which his quoted were seized on and taken out of context.