The star player of the Philadelphia 76ers, born in Yaoundé, gave up France and chose to defend the colors of the United States for the 2024 Olympic basketball tournament. A snub for the French team, which had been trying to attract him for two years.
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“ On top of the world », Wrote the NBA club Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday, in its message on Embiid, 29 years old and who has three passports – Cameroonian, his country of birth, French and American – explained that he made a choice “ difficult “. “ I love my country, I love it very much. But I really wanted to compete in the Olympics. This is my goal and my dream “, he confided to journalists who came to attend his team’s training. “ Add to that my son is American and I have been here so long. I felt like over the last few years, since he was born, every decision I made was based on family “, continued the player, who arrived in the United States at the age of 16.
During the day dedicated to exchanges with the media on Monday, he admitted to being confronted with “ a difficult choice », while he has kept the suspense going for several months. “ I was born in Cameroon, I always wanted to represent my country. But the goal is also to play in the Olympic Games », indicated the player, while Cameroon will play a qualifying tournament for the Olympics without being sure of participating, unlike France or the United States. The French leaders, who had been courting the Yaoundé-born kingpin for two years, had indicated for their part that they wanted “ settle quickly » the Embiid file.
The United States dreams of a new “dream team”
Among the stars tipped to lead the Americans to Paris-2024 are former MVPs LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. They recently said they want to be part of the U.S. team that will attempt to win a fifth straight Olympic gold medal. In addition to these megastars, other major NBA players such as Anthony Davis, Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown and Donovan Mitchell have said they are ready to join an Olympic selection next year, giving birth to the dream of a new “Dream Team » like that of the Barcelona Games in 1992, grouped around Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.
By opting for the United States, Embiid joins a list of NBA superstars who have announced their intention to participate in the Olympics, as the Americans try to recover from their fiasco at the FIBA World Cup in August . Arriving in Asia with a rejuvenated team and deprived of a dominant pivot, the United States failed at the foot of the podium after their defeat against Canada. This failure was experienced as a humiliation across the Atlantic. France had been taken out from the first round of the competition, causing a fiasco.
Disappointment of Cameroonians after the choice of Joel Embiid
(With AFP)
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