Joel Embiid made the choice to be a part of Team USA in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics instead of representing France or his home country, Cameroon.
His decision was driven by the desire to maximize his chances of securing the gold medal.
Nicolas Batum, a seasoned French player, shared thoughts on Embiid’s decision and hinted at the possibility of the USA assembling the most formidable team in Olympic history for the upcoming tournament.
“I would have made the same choice. When you see all the guys who committed, like, they claim it’s the missing big man, but if you want the perfect lineup, they needed one of the best, if not the best, big men. So, when I saw that, I was like, oh, that’s fair.
“I wasn’t surprised. I’m not really mad about it because if I think as a basketball fan, it can be really, really something amazing like we’ve never seen before. Maybe ’92 or ’08, but you don’t see stuff like that very often. As a basketball fan, it’s crazy,” Batum said for Sports Illustrated.
Nicolas Batum reacts to Team USA getting Joel Embiid for 2024 Paris Olympics: “You didn’t need that much”https://t.co/aCBwrkEA76
— Eurohoops (@Eurohoopsnet) October 6, 2023
