When Team USA backed out of his commitment to play for France in favor of joining Team USA, it sparked some outrage and confusion around the basketball community. But in a recent chat with reporters, Embiid explained what it was that made him change his mind.
“I kind of felt rushed in that decision because I wanted to take as much time as possible and it didn’t help that France put an ultimatum on when the decision had to be made. I didn’t know [the timeline]. I saw it on Twitter and I was like woah, where did this come from?… One thing that was always known was that Cameroon is the first choice,” said Embiid, via the NYT Podcast. “And if they qualify, I’m playing for my home country because that’s my dream to play in the Olympics. One thing that was kind of bothering me a lot was the relationship between France and Cameroon and African countries in general, historically and even right now.”
“Even right now, there are a lot of things going on there, there’s a lot of pushback of basically kicking out the French because there have been so many years of oppression. That was my mindset because I knew it would be hard. With my family being in Cameroon, I don’t want to put them through any of that stuff. I want them to be safe, and the relationship between France and Cameroon or Africa in general is just not good.”
Embiid, 30, was born in Yaounde, Cameroon back in 1994. He eventually moved to the United States to launch his basketball career but also obtained his French citizenship in July of 2022. This summer, Embiid was eligible to play for three different countries and while he initially chose France, he backed out at the last minute after being recruited by the USA.
Only Joel can attest to his true intentions and according to him, it has to do with the relationship between the French and his home country. France, like many other European countries, established settlements all over the African continent and laid claim to various lands there. Cameroon, which was initially considered under Germany, was eventually mandated to Great Britain and France after World War I. In 1960, the French Cameroon won its independence but the two nations still have connections and ties that run deep to this day.
To say the relationship between France and Cameroon is tense might be an understatement right now and considering that Embiid still has family that lives out there, he decided it was best not to suit up for France this summer.
Of course, had Cameroon qualified for the Olympics, Embiid would have chosen to play for them over any team but when given a choice between the USA and France, the reigning NBA MVP chose to side with the red, white, and blue.
It remains to be seen if things in Cameroon will change but as things stand, Embiid will probably remain with Team USA unless Cameroon can make the cut to get into the games.
And while Embiid has had a mediocre showing this summer, his mere presence out there has opened up a sea of opportunities for the USA and it’s fair to say his inclusion on the roster has strengthened their frontcourt ten-fold.
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