We have only recently known this. Victor Wembanyama and Joel Embiid will never play together on the national team. Indeed, the last NBA MVP decided to represent the United States and therefore abandoned France and Cameroon. If the Blues quickly recovered, the pivot’s native country has a little more difficulty digesting the news. The entire African continent is even stepping up to the plate, denouncing the choice of the native of Yaoundé.
Joel Embiid’s decision to represent the United States against his native Cameroon has left the African nation “legitimately annoyed”, according to a source within the country’s basketball governing body. The pivot of 76ers, MVP in 2022/23, confirmed on Friday on X (Twitter) that he will play for Team USA at next year’s Olympic Games in Paris. Cameroon hoped the Philadelphia star would choose his country of birth, while France was also interested after the 29-year-old center gained citizenship there last year. But no!
NBA: Wembanyama flamboyant for his preseason debut pic.twitter.com/yCjjl76AAV
— le10sport (@le10sport) October 10, 2023
Africa reacts
“It’s annoying because a lot of people thought he would choose Cameroon. The choice of Embiid was legitimate and the reaction of Cameroonians, annoyed, is also legitimate. » an anonymous source at the Cameroon Basketball Federation told BBC Sport Africa. For his part, Liz Millswho as Kenya’s coach became the first woman to lead an International Basketball Federation men’s team, also expressed frustration with the decision toEmbiid. She believes the pivot’s decision is a missed opportunity for the entire continent: “Imagine what impact he would have had if he had chosen Cameroon and how that would have reverberated across Africa. This would mean much more than just helping the United States win another gold medal. Very disappointing decision. » she conceded.
Embiid hesitated for a long time
Joel Embiid surely weighed the pros and cons of his decision and spoke about it after the announcement of his choice: “I am really proud and enthusiastic about this decision. This has not been easy. I am lucky to call Cameroon, France and the United States 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 perform for my fans because they have been incredible since the day I arrived here. But above all, I want to honor my son who was born in the United States. I want my boy to know that I played my first Olympic Games for him. ” confessed Embiid before specifying the importance of the Olympics in his eyes. “Cameroon, I was born there. I’m from there. I have always wanted to represent my country, but the goal is also to play in the Olympics. If we [le Cameroun] we qualify for the Olympics, that would be an easy decision, but it’s still up in the air and I really want to make the Olympics. »
The importance of the Olympics in Embiid’s decision
However, nothing yet ensures that Cameroon will not be there next summer. Indeed, the country will soon continue its qualification for next year’s Olympic Games after beating Senegal 80-74 in the final of the FIBA Olympic Pre-Qualifying Tournament in Lagos, Nigeria, in August. Njie Enow, a Cameroonian sports analyst, says reactions across the country echo those outside the United States: “There is a lot of disappointment among Cameroonian basketball fans and sports enthusiasts. Cameroon is in the final round of qualifying for the Olympics. You have other Cameroonian talents in the NBA like Pascal Siakam and Christian Koloko, who both played for the Toronto Raptors. Fans believed that with Embiid joining the national team, he would probably have attracted the other two players and Cameroon’s roster would have been stronger. The deeper problem with these reactions comes from the player himself. This is a common thing, especially in this era when many African basketball stars are returning to represent their home countries. Jonathan Kuminga, after winning the NBA championship with the Golden State Warriors, returned to play with the Democratic Republic of Congo. South Sudan’s basketball team managed to qualify for the World Cup and will participate in the Olympics thanks to the foresight of Luol Deng. » he told BBC Sport Africa.
A blatant lack of recognition?
Come on also adds that the lack of recognition ofEmbiid is one of the biggest frustrations: “It is important to mention that this is a player who was spotted during the basketball camp organized by [l’ancienne star des Houston Rockets] Luc Mbah a Moute, who is the second Cameroonian to be recruited into the NBA. We haven’t seen a basketball camp from Joël Embiid. Some of the pitches he played on in Yaoundé are still there and they are in worse condition than when he was there. This decision to represent the United States of America, instead of Cameroon, where he grew up for the first 16 years of his life, is what caused all this controversy and backlash. [On] thought he could take on a leadership role within Cameroonian basketball, especially since Embiid comes from a sporting family. His father, Thomas Embiid, was captain of the Cameroon handball team, his uncle was the head coach of the Cameroon volleyball team, and most of his uncles play professional basketball – some of them played for the national team. And so it’s disappointing not to see him play for Cameroon. » he concluded.
2023-10-12 00:10:35
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