USA Basketball got a boost when FIBA approved Joel Embiid's citizenship to play for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 2023 NBA MVP had never competed in any FIBA or Olympic basketball competitions prior to this summer.
As a citizen of the United States, France and his native country Cameroon, Embiid had three options for programs he could join to compete on the international stage.
His decision to play for Team USA left France and Cameroon disappointed, but Embiid explained his reasoning in a statement.
Here's how the star center ended up playing for the United States at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Joel Embiid Olympics timeline
Gaining France and United States citizenship
Embiid is a native of Cameroon but gained French citizenship in July 2022 , which led many to believe he would one day suit up for France on the international stage.
France was coming off a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the time, and the idea of a frontcourt with Embiid, Rudy Gobert and rising star prospect Victor Wembanyama was a terrifying thought for the rest of the world.
A few months later, in September 2022, Embiid also became a U.S. citizen, giving him three different countries for which he could compete.
"I've been here for a long time. 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?" Embiid told the Associated Press .
The decision to play for Team USA over France, Cameroon
As the 2024 Paris Olympics drew closer, all three countries were hoping to land the star center. Ahead of the 2023-24 NBA season, Embiid pledged his allegiance to the United States, citing his son as the main reason he wanted to represent Team USA.
"I’m really proud and excited about this decision. It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France, and the USA home. 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 wrote in a post on X.
That decision was met with plenty of backlash from both the French Federation of Basketball and the Cameroon Basketball Federation.
“Joel came to us and said that he wanted to play international basketball, he said he wanted to win, and he said he wanted to play for France and he wanted to win with France,” former NBA player Boris Diaw, who is now the general manager of France's national team, told The Athletic .
Former France national team center Frederic Weis went as far as to say , "I would take away from him the French nationality and I would ban him from entering France."
Cameroon national team head coach Liz Mills wasn't as harsh, but still expressed her disappointment in Embiid's choice.
"Imagine what impact he would have had if he had chosen Cameroon and how that what have reverberated right across Africa. It would mean so much more than helping the USA win another gold medal. Very disappointing decision," she wrote on X.
Embiid's complicated citizenship and tough decision delayed the start of his international basketball career until he was 30 years old and 10 seasons into his NBA career. He will be moving forward with the United States and Team USA, starting at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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