Joel Embiid is one of the best players in the NBA. The Philadelphia-based center has now received French citizenship. The fact that the native Cameroonian also wants to play for “Les Bleus” makes the national team a candidate for Olympic gold in Paris.
Last season, NBA star center Joel Embiid for the Philadelphia 76ers took another step and became a bona fide MVP contender. Embiid is one
Embiid is a 2.13 meter tall and over 125 kilo player who can run lightly across the field and score from anywhere. He can throw three-pointers like a guard and take out defenders with supple footwork and smooth movements. And: Embiid is also extremely strong on the defensive.
The self-proclaimed “Process” (he called himself that because a competitive team was patiently built around him in Philadelphia), who was born and raised in Cameroon but has French citizenship as of Wednesday, could soon be the blue jersey of the carry the French national team. Embiid has never worn a Cameroon shirt in an official competition, which would make the switch easier.
Fiba rules allow one naturalized player per national team and Embiid is looking forward to playing for Les Bleus.
“L’Equipe” writes: “The French federation (FFBB) and the French national team have hardly commented on the situation and are waiting for the procedure to be completed and formalized. The player said about his environment that the procedure was initiated at the request of the association. He now has a passport.”
Embiid could make an impressive frontcourt for the French national team at the Paris 2024 Olympics alongside Rudy Gobert and the young and promising Victor Wembanyama.
The original of this post “NBA star Embiid is suddenly French, that changes everything for the Olympics in Paris” comes from OpenCourt-Basketball.