Joel Embiid's decision is a win for USA but a huge loss for Africa / News - Basketnews.com

Joel Embiid committed to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and it's huge for Team USA, but his decision also leaves a bittersweet feeling when it comes to African basketball.

Credit: AP Photo/Matt Slocum – Scanpix Credit AP Photo/Matt Slocum – Scanpix

In recent years, we have seen an increase in players choosing which national team to play for almost the same way one would choose which club to sign for during free agency.

With the increase in movement between countries, the number of athletes who have two or, in some cases, even three passports has also increased.

These players, just as happens during free agency for clubs, were courted by the various federations to convince them to choose a particular nationality over another.

A few months ago, we witnessed the case of Paolo Banchero, equipped with both an American and an Italian passport, who, after months of uncertainty, chose to represent Team USA.

He played at the FIBA World Cup with Team USA, leaving quite disappointed the top officials of the Italian federation who had followed him since he was 16 years old.

Paolo BancheroCredit FIBA

But the most interesting case on which there was the greatest level of attention in the run-up to the 2024 Paris Olympics was Joel Embiid, center for the Philadelphia 76ers and MVP of the last NBA season.

Last summer, within a few weeks, Embiid received French and U.S. citizenship, which had been added to his original citizenship of Cameroon.

Embiid had previously expressed his interest in playing for the French national team, so much so that it was thought the 76ers player could already be available to coach Vincent Collet for EuroBasket 2022.

However, the Cameroon native, partly due to some physical troubles, chose to sit out last offseason, postponing any possible talk until the following summer.

It was precisely his interest in playing for the French national team that had prompted the top leadership of the federation to get him a passport, as confirmed by the president of the French federation himself, Jean-Pierre Siutat, at a recent press conference.

"We met Joel together with Boris Diaw in March of 2022," the president of the French basketball federation clarified.

"But we didn't ask for that meeting. He had shown interest in playing for France, and we helped him get French citizenship upon his request. But we were never demanding of him, I'm just sorry that we have spent so much time and energy on a file that should never have been opened," Siutat added.

After obtaining U.S. citizenship, Embiid began to doubt his commitment to the French national team. As early as the fall of 2022, the Sixers star met with Grant Hill, Team USA's top executive.

Hill thus began a courtship with the player that continued over the following months. Since Hill became the general manager of Team USA, the recruiting policy of the U.S. national team has become much more aggressive than in the past, especially toward those players eligible to play with more than one national team.

Grant HillCredit GettyImages via AFP - Scanpix

Given the lack of abundance in the frontcourt, Hill has been pushing hard on the profiles of Banchero and Embiid, knowing that, especially at the FIBA level, big men who can make a difference under the basket can be decisive.

During last season, Embiid often avoided answering questions about his future internationally, almost always saying that his focus was on the Sixers and that there would be time for the national team.

With the physical problems he suffered during the playoffs with the Sixers, Embiid essentially ruled himself out of World Cup participation to focus on rehabilitating his knee.

As revealed by ESPN journalist Brian Windhorst, Vincent Collet, the coach of the French national team, told in conversations with the American journalist that he was not so sure that Embiid would choose to play for the French national team.

As France left the World Cup with a poor overall performance, Grant Hill's optimism about his chances of convincing Embiid to represent Team USA increased considerably.

Contacts between the Cameroon-born player and Team USA's top brass continued on a positive note, and just before the Philadelphia 76ers' training camp began, Embiid announced that he would soon make a final decision on his future at the international level.

Then, last week came the official announcement that Embiid would represent Team USA as early as the 2024 Paris Olympics, thus ending all talks that had gone on for more than a year.

There are two main reasons why the Philadelphia 76ers center decided at this time: the first was the deadline imposed on him by the French national team, which had asked him to communicate a final decision on his future by October 10.

The other reason is that by announcing his decision now, Embiid will be free to focus solely and exclusively on the Sixers, at least until next summer, with no more distractions related to the national team's choice.

"It's exciting for USA Basketball that Joel Embiid wants to represent the United States," Grant Hill said in an official statement after Embiid's decision.

"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."

So if Embiid is going to be okay physically next summer, he will be part of the 12 who will represent Team USA at the Paris Olympics. The potential of the U.S. team is truly impressive, considering that LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, and Devin Booker have also already given their willingness to be there.

After the disappointment at the recent World Cup with defeats in the semifinals against Germany and in the third-place final against Canada, Team USA does not want to leave anything to chance in Paris and intends to show up with the strongest possible team.

But what are the reasons that ultimately prompted Embiid to choose Team USA? One of the main reasons is related to family. Embiid came to the United States when he was only 16 years old, completed high school, and did one year of college before landing in the NBA.

The Sixers player has been in the States almost continuously since 2010. Since he arrived in America, he has rarely returned to Cameroon, except for the funeral of his brother Arthur, who died in a car accident during Joel's second year in the NBA.

Embiid's son was born in the United States and is therefore an American citizen. Gratitude to a country that welcomed him and allowed him to become one of the best players around is something that drove Embiid to choose the Team USA option.

Joel EmbiidCredit Getty Images via AFP

Added to this is the desire to bring the American team back to the top after the disappointment suffered at the World Cup. The Olympics, especially for NBA players, remain an event of far greater appeal than the World Cup, which also attracted Embiid.

However, there is no denying that there is some regret in not seeing Joel Embiid represent his home country of Cameroon.

The Sixers center was the second African player in NBA history to win the MVP title after Hakeem Olajuwon. The fact that he never represented his home country leaves a bit of a feeling of incompleteness, considering how complex it can be for an African player to succeed at the highest level.

Cameroon, which still has a chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics, could have set its sights on the duo of Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam. Still, in past years, the Cameroon federation has never been able to convince the two NBA stars to join the team.

For the United States to be able to rely on a player like Embiid seems almost like a luxury that was not necessary.

As stated by Nicolas Batum, "Team USA already had a lot of stars, did they really need Joel, too?"

Team USA is preparing a new Dream Team to secure the gold medal in Paris. With Embiid's help, everything should be even easier. And there's no doubt thatBitcoin bookmakers will have Team USA as clear favorites.

The premises for another success are all there, but as Germany proved at the last World Cup, room for surprises is always around the corner.

And with competitors such as Germany, France, and Canada in the mix, even with the best team available, getting that gold medal won't be as easy as someone would expect.

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