Joel Embiid Will Play For Team USA In Olympics 2024
The NBA’s American players have received a significant wake-up call from Team USA, who are desperate to reclaim their place at the top of the basketball world after failing to win a medal at this year’s FIBA World Cup.
After choosing to represent the United States over France on Thursday, Joel Embiid set his sights on winning gold at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. This decision marked the unexpected conclusion of a competitive recruitment campaign that had been going on behind the scenes.
How did Joel Embiid decide to join Team USA?
According to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, Embiid had been speaking with Grant Hill, the Hall of Fame small forward and current executive director of Team USA, about his future on the international stage. On Thursday, he decided and notified Hill to end the race for his services between the US, France, and Cameroon.
The previous poor tournament results have motivated Embiid, a dual-citizen of France and the United States, to assist Team USA in regaining its former glory.
Despite taking home the gold at the previous four Summer Olympic Games, Team USA finished shockingly seventh at the 2019 FIBA World Cup and managed only a fourth-place finish at the 2023 competition, failing to medal for the first time in more than 50 years.
Embiid is determined to reverse this declining trend, and he is further motivated by the idea of winning gold in front of his three-year-old son Arthur, an American citizen by birth, who will be present.
The elements of a memorable team
Team USA is actively courting some of the NBA’s strong personalities, as seen by Embiid’s commitment to the team.
Other famous athletes who are thinking of teaming up in the Olympics in 2016 include LeBron James and Stephen Curry. Curry almost formally announced this week that he would join Team USA during Golden State’s media day. Steve Kerr, the Warriors’ head coach since 2014, is currently in charge of the team.
The NBA’s top American players may make a similar decision when Embiid does. Kevin Durant of Phoenix and Bam Adebayo of Miami have already declared their commitment to Paris 2024, while Jimmy Butler, a teammate of Adebayo’s, has also expressed interest. James’ star Los Angeles teammate Anthony Davis is debating whether or not to participate in the Olympics.
“Definitely want to be on the team.”
Stephen Curry
