Sixers star makes game-changing Olympics decision
Joel Embiid has citizenship in three countries, and every one of those countries would love to have him on the international stage. Turns out, he'll be playing for Team USA at the Olympics.
Embiid chose the United States over his native Cameroon and over France, where he received citizenship last summer. His presence could solve what emerged as Team USA's biggest weakness at the FIBA World Cup: interior defense and rebounding.
He joins a number of superstars who have committed to Olympic basketball in the past week, including Phoenix's Kevin Durant, the all-time leading scorer for American players at the Olympics, and Steph Curry, who called playing in the Olympics "the one thing I haven't done."
France had long hoped Embiid would join its team, which lost to Team USA at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. That would have given the French a formidable center rotation of Embiid, three-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert and this year's No. 1 pick, Victor Wembanyama. Perhaps the crowded frontcourt convinced Embiid that the Americans needed him more. Or it could simply be that the United States is where Embiid has lived since he was 16 years old.
With Durant, Curry, Embiid and possibly LeBron James joining Team USA, the Americans should once again be favorites, despite finishing fourth at the FIBA World Cup, where they lost to Canada and Germany in the final round. Embiid provides scoring and tremendous defense at the pivot, which is important given how much more physical international basketball is compared to the NBA.
It will be interesting to see how Embiid's presence changes coach Steve Kerr's style, which often favors small-ball lineups. At the World Cup, Team USA routinely used undersized centers like Paolo Banchero, Bobby Portis and Jaren Jackson Jr., who usually plays power forward for the Memphis Grizzlies.
Embiid may also change Team USA's roster decisions. At the last Olympics, Team USA generally went with Miami's Bam Adebayo and Golden State's Draymond Green at center. With those two also poised to return, that likely means the big men from the World Cup team likely won't be on the Paris Olympics squad, save perhaps Banchero, who would be playing forward.
It's a truly impactful move for Olympic basketball. Not only will France not add the reigning MVP, but he's playing for their biggest international rival — and he may have just solved its biggest problem.
More must-reads: