Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, a native of Cameroon, received his United States citizenship back in September. It was a procedural move for the NBA MVP candidate as he makes a home stateside and has for some time now.
Once Embiid became a citizen, it opened up the possibility of him playing for TEAM USA during the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Reportedly, head coach Steve Kerr and the United States have interest in Embiid doing just that.
“League sources say that both red, white and blue teams that contested the gold-medal men’s basketball game in Tokyo actively covet Embiid’s commitment for the next Olympics.”
NBA insider Marc Stein on France and USA having interest in Joel Embiid
This possibility came up amid the growing fever over top 2023 NBA Draft prospect Victor Wembanyama and his recent exhibition games in the Vegas suburb of Henderson. A native of France, the 7-foot-4 Wembanyama will suit up for that nation in the 2024 Summer Olympics.
There’s some logic to the idea of Embiid actually playing for the United States instead of the country it defeated in the Gold Medal Game in the 2020 Olympics. Primarily, the ability to provide Kerr and Co. with size.
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Joel Embiid makes sense for TEAM USA in the 2024 Summer Olympics
Stein noted that Embiid wants to test out international basketball for a team outside of his native Cameroon. Playing for the United States would give him the largest platform. Depending on how the roster is constructed, there’s also going to be a need at center.
In addition to Wembanyama, it stands to reason that new Minnesota Timberwolves star center Rudy Gobert will also play in France as the nation hosts the event. That could very well be one too many bigs.
- Joel Embiid stats (2021-22): 30.6 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 4.2 APG, 50% shooting
Having won four consecutive golds in the Summer Olympics, TEAM USA would be nearly unstoppable with Embiid holding down the fort inside.
Reigning NBA Finals MVP Stephen Curry is already leaning toward playing in the Olympics. It would likely be his final opportunity to earn another gold. He’d also be playing under his current head coach. He made his intentions clear during the Warriors’ championship parade this past summer.
Regardless of how the remainder of the roster plays out, Stephen Curry and Joel Embiid headlining TEAM USA would be a pretty big deal once the summer of 2024 comes calling.