In a not-so-surprising turn of events, Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid recently revealed his much anticipated decision on his team of choice for his first Olympic stint, ultimately opting to suit up for Team USA in next year’s games.
Embiid passed up on France and his native country of Cameroon and will be expected to man the middle for a USA team set on a bounce back after a less-than-stellar campaign in the recently concluded FIBA World Cup. The reigning MVP will be joining a squad which has already secured commitments from NBA royalty.
French phenom Victor Wembanyama weighs in on Joel Embiid’s Olympic decision
Naturally, French superstar Victor Wembanyama was asked about Embiid’s decision, to which he pointed out that he wasn’t surprised at the outcome.
"Not at all. If I have the opportunity, if I am selected, I will fight with other French people to win a title."
The new San Antonio Spur then admitted that he, however, was sad for Cameroon, which will be competing for an Olympic spot in the pre-qualifying tournament.
Circling back to Embiid, it would have been wildly interesting to see him paired with Wembanyama and even Rudy Gobert for France, which is also coming off a gut-wrenching FIBA stint, but Team USA and Steve Kerr must be ecstatic about adding an elite big man to the roster after being lambasted by fans and pundits alike over the team’s thinness at the position.
Hopefully, the 2020 Olympic basketball champions get to defend their title against much tougher competition, though a squad with Embiid, Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant, among others, shouldn’t have to trek for it, right?
Anyway, now that this has been resolved, the reigning MVP can now fully set his eyes on the season and potentially get the Philadelphia 76ers over yet another hump.