Joel Embiid Gets Real On Impending Decision Of Playing For Team USA Or Team France

Joel Embiid opened up on the coming decision to play for either Team USA or Team France.

Credit: Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports

Joel Embiid has been playing at an MVP-caliber level for a few seasons now. And even though he has been unable to win the award or make waves in the playoffs with the Philadelphia 76ers, he remains one of the best basketball players in the world. And while the Sixers have him locked in for a while to come, there are international teams still coveting the big man's services. 

Joel Embiid was born in Cameroon and spent his early childhood there. But the big man also holds French and American citizenship. France and USA both have elite basketball teams, but both would like to have Embiid at their disposal as well. Rudy Gobert has made several comments encouraging the Process to play for France, but Embiid is undecided still. 

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Joel Embiid Opened Up On Why He Hasn't Decided His National Team Allegiance Yet

The NBA season is currently underway and Embiid has once again been playing at a very high level. He is averaging over 32 points and almost 10 rebounds per game, and the Sixers are back within the playoff spots once again. And his focus is solely on the NBA season now, Philadelphia is expecting a big run out of their team. When asked about the coming decision on the international level, Embiid has reiterated that he is not thinking about it at this time (via TalkBasket). 

“I don’t want to talk about international stuff,” Embiid said.

I had a feeling going in, actually, that he would be reluctant to entertain the topic of which way are you leaning. But I did press him for one follow-up: Why is it an off-limits topic?

“Because it’s the NBA season,” Embiid said. “I’m focused on us getting better as a team and me getting better as a player. I’m focused on making it to the playoffs and doing something there. I’m gonna worry about the rest later.

“For now,” Embiid added, “it’s all about trying to do whatever is possible to win a championship.”

The Philadelphia 76ers have all the pieces necessary to finally make a serious run, but they need to figure it out quickly. A lot of the season is left, but the Eastern Conference currently has two obvious frontrunners in the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. Embiid will have to make a decision ahead of the 2024 Olympics so he has enough time to train with whichever team he chooses, but for now, the NBA championship is the only goal that matters. 

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