Joel Embiid is the latest superstar to commit to Team USA for
the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
In recent weeks, Team USA managing director Grant Hill had been
recruiting Embiid, who was born in Cameroon and also has French
citizenship. Ultimately, Embiid decided to represent the United
States.
“After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA,”
Embiid tweeted. “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.
“I’m really proud and excited about this decision. It was not
easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France and the USA home.”
Embiid will join a star-studded squad that could also include
Stephen Curry, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson
Tatum, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Bam Adebayo, Donovan Mitchell
and Jimmy Butler – all of whom have said that they will play for
Team USA if selected.
“It’s exciting for USA Basketball that Joel Embiid wants to
represent the United States,” Hill said in a statement. “Joel and I
have had several conversations about his goals and I’m looking
forward to continuing that dialogue knowing that one of those goals
is to represent USA Basketball next summer in Paris. As I’ve said
before, I’m looking forward to the process of building the 2024 USA
Basketball Men’s national team roster over the next several
months.”
Team USA failed to medal at this summer’s FIBA World Cup in the
Philippines, and a major reason was their lack of size of
rebounding. The only big men on the World Cup roster were Jaren
Jackson Jr. and Walker Kessler (who barely played), with Paolo
Banchero and Josh Hart serving as small-ball 5s.
By the end of the World Cup, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr
found himself turning to five-guard lineups that featured Hart at
center. Hart led Team USA in rebounding with 5.1 boards per game,
followed by Anthony Edwards’ 4.6 rebounds per game.
Now, Team USA will be able to turn their biggest weakness into a
legitimate strength after adding Embiid, who averaged an absurd
33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.7 blocks, 1.0 steal and
1.0 three per game last season with the Philadelphia 76ers.
It’s worth noting that this is a huge blow to France, the
reigning Olympic silver medalist. The French national team would
have been much scarier if they entered the Paris Olympics with
Embiid, Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Bilal
Coulibaly and Evan Fournier among others.
To recap, Embiid’s commitment means that Team USA added the
NBA’s reigning Most Valuable Player, filled their biggest need
and kept him from joining arguably their biggest
competitor in the 2024 Olympics.
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