Per FIBA rules, men's and women's national teams are permitted one naturalized player on their 12-player rosters . The rule refers to foreign-born players who obtain a passport for a country after turning 16.
One of the biggest stories of the Paris Olympics is Joel Embiid's choice to represent the United States as the program's naturalized player.
Embiid, 30, was born in Cameroon and holds French citizenship in addition to his American citizenship. Rather than playing for his native country or the Olympic host country, Embiid decided to play for the United States to help the program in its pursuit of a fifth consecutive gold medal.
As a result of his decision, Embiid has been met with jeers from French fans and questions from some Cameroonians .
Here is more behind Embiid's decision to represent the U.S. over the other two countries.
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Why is Joel Embiid playing for USA, not France?
Embiid decided to represent Team USA over France and his native Cameroon, which ultimately did not qualify for men's basketball at the Paris Olympics. Embiid, who gained U.S. citizenship in 2022, explained that his decision was motivated by his son, who was born in the United States.
Here is more from Embiid, in a statement posted to X (formerly Twitter) in October:
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.
"I've been here for a long time," Embiid said of gaining American citizenship in 2022. "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?"
As for his ties to other nations, Embiid was born in Yaounde, Cameroon on March 16, 1994. He moved to the United States at 16, completing high school in the States before attending the University of Kansas.
Retired NBA veteran Boris Diaw is the general manager for the French national team. In March, Diaw told The Athletic that Embiid previously came to them and said he wanted to play for France. Embiid's decision to instead play for the United States angered many, including former French center Frédéric Weis, who said he would take away the 76ers star's French nationality and ban him from entering France.
A spokesman for Embiid said that he did not ask for a French passport and that French officials pursued it on their own.
“When the government asked us, ‘Would it be good to have this guy? Can he bring something for France? Can he bring something for the country? Would it be good for the country?’ Yeah, we said yes,” Diaw said about Embiid's naturalization process. “That’s how he got it.”
During the Olympics, Embiid has been met with boos from crowds in Lille and Paris, France.
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