One of the major narratives surrounding basketball at the 2024 Paris Olympics has been Joel Embiid’s decision to represent Team USA instead of pushing through with his commitment for the French national basketball team. What better way for this story to meet its ending than a clash between USA Basketball and France in the gold medal matchup?
Embiid has embraced the role of the villain during his time in Lille and in Paris, as he hasn’t been particularly shy to taunt the fans by cupping his ear or egging them on with a crotch chop. The Philadelphia 76ers star simply loves to troll fans, as he finds it entertaining when he elicits a strong emotional response from those who follow basketball. Following their epic 95-91 comeback win against Serbia, Embiid took his trolling to the next level by joking that he may no longer represent Team USA come the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“It’s been a good experience. It’s been a grind, being away from home and family for a few weeks. But the group of guys we have made it easy. Paris is a great city and the next one is LA. It might not be with Team USA, it might be with Cameroon,” Embiid said, per Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Joel Embiid should be a member of Team USA for good
At this point, Joel Embiid is simply stoking the fire of the criticism he drew in his decision to don the Team USA jersey. He has already made it clear multiple times that the United States of America is his and his family’s home, and that his son’s citizenship played a huge part as to why he made the decision he did.
But the Cameroon basketball program could certainly use a player of Embiid’s caliber. While Embiid has already represented Team USA, FIBA can grant an exception allowing someone like Embiid to play for their country of origin, so long as it is “in the interest of the development of basketball in the country”.
However, Team USA will have to give the greenlight for such a move to take place. Considering the way Embiid turned up and emerged as a go-to weapon for the team in the clutch during their semifinal win against Serbia in Paris, there simply is no way they are letting Embiid go. He will only be 34 years of age by the time the 2028 Olympics come around, so he should still be playing at a high level by then.
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