Superstar rookie Victor Wembanyama has weighed in on Joel Embiid’s decision to commit to Team USA instead of France or Cameroon.
19-year-old Wembanyama recently made it clear he will definitely be playing for his national team France, who will be hosting the 2024 Olympic games and affirmed there is “no goal other than gold”.
Last week, Embiid announced that he will be opting to play for Team USA, instead of France – where he holds citizenship, or Cameroon – where he was born.
When asked if he was disappointed with Embiid’s decision, Wemby said, “Not at all. If I have the opportunity, if I am selected, I will fight with other French people to win a title.”
“I don’t really have an opinion, I’m just sad for Cameroon,” The Spurs rookie added.
Of course, Wembanyama doesn’t speak for the rest of the French national team or their recruiting team, who seemed very keen to get Embiid on board.
With France’s disappointing first round exit in the FIBA World Cup, having a two-way player like Embiid would have certainly helped their chances of redemption in the Olympics.
France do already have a center in Rudy Gobert, so maybe Embiid thought the position was already a little crowded.
He also said that one of the main reasons he wanted to play for USA was because of family, namely his young son Arthur who was born in the States.
“I feel like for the past few years, since [Arthur] has been born, every decision has been made just based on family,” Embiid said. “My family, my son, and having the chance to represent a country like USA.”
If Embiid does play for Team USA, he will join a superteam of sorts, with the likes of LeBron James, Steph Curry and Kevin Durant already committed.
When LeBron found out about Embiid’s decision, he called it a “big time” addition to the squad.