By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
One of the best players in the world was in the middle of conversations relating to his national team’s path, as he obtained both French and American citizenship. Asked if Joel Embiid will be called up by Team USA at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, the managing director of USA Basketball Grant Hill confirmed the rumors.
“I’ll just answer it with a simple answer, and that’s, ‘Yes, I’ve talked to him. He has options. He’s a great player. But he’s also somebody that we’ve talked to about next summer and, you know, we’ll see. We’ll see how that plays out”, the former Orlando Magic player said about the 29-year-old dominating center.
Previously, the French national team’s head coach said that they are also waiting for Joel Embiid’s final decision. “It won’t happen this year. We don’t know what to do for now. It’s up to him to decide. We are waiting for his decision and we are hopeful”, he commented on the Cameroonian native, who averaged 33.1 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game with the Philadelphia 76ers last year.
Joel Embiid hasn’t committed to either France or Team USA for the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Vincent Collet called up Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum, Nando De Colo, Guerschon Yabusele, Elie Okobo, Frank Ntilikina, Yakuba Ouattara, Mathias Lessort, Terry Tarpey, Moustapha Fall, and Sylvain Francisco.
Steve Kerr, instead, won’t rely on the 2022-23 NBA Regular Season MVP and requested the performances of Paolo Banchero, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Anthony Edwards, Tyrese Haliburton, Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cameron Johnson, Walker Kessler, Bobby Portis, and Austin Reaves for the tournament in Manila.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty Images