76ers' Joel Embiid Commits to Play for Team USA at 2024 Paris Olympics
Tyler Conway@@jtylerconway
Featured Columnist IVOctober 5, 2023
Team USA's star-studded 2024 Summer Olympic team just added the reigning NBA MVP.
Joel Embiid committed to playing for Team USA on Thursday, noting it was not an easy decision for him to make:
Joel Embiid @JoelEmbiidI'm really proud and excited about this decision. It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France, and the USA home. After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA. I want to play with my brothers in the league. I want to play for my fans because they've… <a href="https://t.co/6VHSQTKVl3">pic.twitter.com/6VHSQTKVl3</a>
That confirms a report by ESPN's Ramona Shelburn from earlier on Thursday:
Ramona Shelburne @ramonashelburneJoel Embiid, the NBA's reigning Most Valuable Player, has committed to play for Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympics, sources told ESPN on Thursday. <br><br>Embiid informed Team USA executive director Grant Hill of his decision on Thursday morning, sources said, just days after the two… <a href="https://t.co/W2dfW71aMs">pic.twitter.com/W2dfW71aMs</a>
Embiid, who was born in Cameroon, holds citizenship in France and the United States. He previously considered playing for Cameroon during the AfroBasket 2017 competition but declined and has never competed on the international level due to injuries.
Health, of course, will be paramount to Embiid's participation next summer in Paris. He has never played more than 68 games in an NBA season and has dealt with injuries in back-to-back postseasons.
As Embiid approaches his 30th birthday in March, it's fair to wonder whether the Sixers love the idea of their franchise face adding high-level minutes to his workload over the summer.
That said, the star-studded cast currently slated for the Summer Games is likely too much to pass up.
LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker and Damian Lillard are among the All-NBA superstars to express interest in playing for Team USA. If all of the interested parties participate, this roster stands to be one of the greatest in U.S. history—on par with the 1992 Dream Team and 2008 Redeem Team.
A lot can happen over the course of a nine-month NBA season, so it's worth noting these are all conditional commitments to participating. For now, though, throwing a future bet on Team USA to take home gold seems like a smart idea.