Cameroonian-American professional basketball player, Joel Embiid, has hinted at the possibility of representing his country of descent, Cameroon, at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Embiid, who is on the verge of winning a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics Men’s Basketball final against France on Saturday, August 10, stated this during an interview with the New York Times.
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“But one thing that was always known was that Cameroon was the first choice. If they qualify, I’m playing for my home country because that’s my dream—to play in the Olympics,” Embiid stressed.
Embiid was instrumental in Team USA’s nail-biting 95-91 victory over Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday.
The US victory against Serbia propelled them to the final against host nation France, a team Embiid nearly played for before choosing to represent the US in these Games.
Embiid, who had the option to represent the USA, France, or his native Cameroon, decided to play for Team USA.
Should Embiid choose to play for Cameroon, he would need FIBA’s approval, and USA Basketball would have to agree not to block the move.
According to Article 3-22 of the FIBA Internal Regulations, a player may switch national teams if it is “in the interest of the development of basketball” in the new country.
By Dotun Omisakin
