PHILADELPHIA– Joel Embiid, the Philadelphia 76ers’All Star center, officially became a French citizen this week setting himself up to potentially join that country’s 2021 silver medal team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Nothing is set in stone, but we can just imagine the damage a front line of the 7-0, 280 pound Embiid, 7-1 Rudy Gobert and 7-2, 18 year old phemon Victor Wembanyama, the likely first pick in the 2023 NBA draft, could inflict on opposing countries as the French, which captured silver in the 2021 game in Japan, go for gold in the World Cup or the summer games on home soil .
Embiid, was born in Cameroon and moved to the United States when he was 16 years old, but was able to gain citizenship because of a clause in the French civil code that allows naturalization to “a foreigner whose naturalization is of exceptional interest,” per BeBasket. Embiid speaks fluent French but has never lived in the country. He does have family there, though.
Embiid has not commited to the idea.
Back in 2018, he said he would pick between Cameroon, France and the United States if he decided to play international basketball.
“I have never said I would play for France,” he told the French newspaper L”Equipe. “I said it is just an option. I must play for I must play for many years (without injuries) before I think of joining a national team. After that, it is complicated. I am from Cameroon but, there are many problems. They have to tend to them. I like my country, I am a patriot and I want to play it. If I have to choose, Cameroon will be my prime choice, if there is a good environment, because I am from there. But, I won’t be the only one to decide on a point in time. My Embiid’s current team, the Sixers, has invested $196 million and will also have its say.”It is a lot of money to let their player go in an environment without a good medical care,” he said. “I just want a good management.”
And a gold medal to add to his resume.
When Embiid officially began the naturalization process this past May, French national team general manager and former NBA forward Boris Diaw stated Embiid planned to play for France when he became a citizen. Embiid also tweeted a congratulatory message when France broke the U.S. 25- game winning streak in a group game in Toyko. FIBA allows each team to roster one naturalized player – and France currently doesn’t have a player that fits under that category.
It makes sense to join France now The French have a veteran team with Gobert, Knicks guard Evan Fournier, Hawks guard Timothe Luwau-Cabarrot, Mavericks guard Frank Nitikina and former Celtics forward Guershon Yabusele.
Not everyone is in favor of Embiid joining the team becuase of his lack of connection to the country. Fourier and former French national team players Tony Parker and Nicholas Batum have been opposed ot the idea from the start. “Let’s stop with the articles on Joel playing for France, please, it’s getting ridiculous seriously. For me, playing for a country you have no ties with is disturbing. The selection is not just a sporting challenge. It’s not at all against Joel. It bothers me when the other selections do it and it is therefore valid for the French team.” Fournier tweeted. “Then where is the respect for Rudy? And the others who make sacrifices every summer for the [team]? ”
Current French national team point guard Andrew Albicy added this pas(t May that “many people in the team” still don’t want Embiid on the roster. “I speak on my behalf but I think there are many people in the team who think the same: we would not like Embiid to come to the team because he does not represent France,” Albicy said. “He was not trained in France, he has nothing French except for the family and the fact that he speaks French. He never played in France and, I may be exaggerating, but he may never have set foot in France.”
Having said that, there is no denying Embiid would give the French an imposing offense force against a rebuilding Team USA. Embiid He averaged a league-leading 30.6 points per game, as well as 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game this past season for the 76ers. Embiid led the 76ers to the Eastern Conference Semifinals before losing to the Miami Heat in six games despite suffering a thumb injury he played through during the playoffs. He came in second place in MVP voting for the second consecutive year, losing – again – to Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Embiid had surgery to repair his right thumb and his left index finger this spring and expects to be ready for the 2022 season later this year.
