Philadelphia Sixers star Joel Embiid must decide “in the coming days” which country he wants to represent in international competition, and in particular at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, he said Monday.
Named best player (MVP) of the NBA regular season last year, Embiid (29 years old) has three passports and could thus play for Cameroon, his country of birth, France or the United States. “A difficult choice,” he admitted while keeping the suspense going for several months.
“I like all three options,” he said during the media day of his franchise, the Philadelphia Sixers.
“I was born in Cameroon, I always wanted to represent my country. But the goal is also to play in the Olympic Games,” he indicated, while Cameroon qualified for a qualifying tournament for the Olympic Games without being sure of participating, unlike France or the UNITED STATES.
“I’ll probably make up my mind in the next few days.”
Also asked about the absence from the traditional day dedicated to exchanges with the press of his teammate James Harden, who wishes to be transferred, Embiid estimated that his team would be a candidate for the NBA title, with or without the famous bearded man and his offensive power.
“We would like to count on him. But if he’s not there we’ll still have to do the job.”
The Sixers were eliminated in the spring by the Boston Celtics in the 7th game of a very close Eastern Conference semi-final. A disappointment which led to the ouster of coach Doc Rivers, replaced by ex-Toronto coach Nick Nurse.