After officially becoming a French citizen earlier in the summer, there was a lot of talk about Joel Embiid potentially suiting up for the national side for the recently-concluded 2022 EuroBasket tournament. It wasn't to be, though, as certain complications prevented the Philadelphia 76ers superstar from repping his new homeland.
In a rather unexpected twist, however, it has now been revealed that Joel Embiid is now a bona fide citizen of the United States of America. This is after the 28-year-old was sworn in as an American a couple of weeks ago in Philly.
The Sixers star himself opened up about his recent decision to get a U.S. passport, and apparently, it had a lot to do with his two-year-old son (via Dave Gelston of NBA.com):
“I’ve been here for a long time,” Embiid told The Associated Press on Thursday. “My son is American. I felt like, I’m living here and it’s a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?”
The man has a point. He has been in the country for many years now, so it wasn't exactly a tough decision for him to make.
Could this actually put his France debut at risk? Is Joel Embiid actually considering suiting up for Team USA? He's one of the top centers in the game today, and Team USA would likely be more than willing to sign him up on the roster.
Embiid was quick to play down the speculation, though, stating that his international duty just isn't his biggest priority at the moment:
“I just want to be healthy and win a championship and go from there,” he told the AP.
This is exactly what Sixers fans want to hear from their cornerstone big man. Embiid is already locked in on the upcoming season, and this could finally be Philadelphia's year.
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