France national team head coach Vincent Collet has officially ruled out their pursuit of the service of Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid for the upcoming FIBA Basketball World Cup.
Despite their withdrawal, Collet remains hopeful and patient on behalf of the basketball federation that Embiid will still consider their program after the World Cup which will be held from Aug. 25 to Sept. 10.
“Not this year. We do not know. It’s up to him to decide. We await his decision and we hope,” said Collet as he spoke to Serbian newspaper Telegraf.
The reigning NBA MVP holds Cameroonian, French, and American passports. As such, the U.S. team is also desperately eyeing to tap his international service.
France already absorbed a major blow after NBA’s top overall pick Victor Wembanyama decided to turn down his play for Les Bleus in the World Cup. Thankfully, mainstay star big man Rudy Gobert has expressed his commitment to the club.
France will play in the deadly Group H of the World Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia. They are about to battle Canada, Latvia, and Lebanon in the group phase.
