Biography
In 2023,Joel Embiid was at a crossroads in his international basketball career. He had to weigh up the options of representing his native Cameroon, his adopted home the United States, or France which had extended citizenship to bolster their Olympic squad for theParis 2024 Games.
After much thought, Embiid decided to representTeam USA in the upcoming Olympics. His choice was deeply personal, as he wanted to play alongside his fellow NBA players and honour his son, born in the United States. With this announcement, the Philadelphia star ended an enthralling saga.
"I'm incredibly proud and excited about this decision," he shared onTwitter. "It wasn't easy. I am fortunate to call Cameroon, France, and the USA my home. After discussions with my family, I knew my allegiance had to be with Team USA."
Joel Embiid's rise in the NBA
Embiid's journey to stardom began in Yaoundé, Cameroon, where he played multiple sports while growing up. He briefly considered pursuing a volleyball career before ultimately choosing basketball.
He was discovered by NBA playerLuc Mbah a Moute at a basketball camp in the West African nation's capital. Mbah a Moute mentored him and helped him move to the U.S. at 16 to pursue the sport as a career. The teenage prospect moved to Florida for high school and was then recruited by theUniversity of Kansas.
In his one season at college, he won the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year award despite being ruled out of the Big 12 Tournament and NCAA Tournament (aka March Madness). He declared for the 2014 Draft and waspicked third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers.
A broken foot and subsequent complications ruled Embiid out of the whole of both the 2014-15 and 2015-16 NBA seasons. He eventually made his debut at the start of the 2016-17 campaign, posting 20 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Having established himself as the 76ers starting center, a torn meniscus ended his season prematurely although he was still named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
In 2018, he was named as a starter in the All-Star Game withAllen Iverson the last 76er to have that honour in 2010. He helped Philadelphia to the playoffs for the first time in six years with the side beating Miami Heat in the first round before going down to the Boston Celtics in five games.
Acquiring the nickname "The Process", sharing it with the era of the franchise - ie. trust the process - which saw them perform poorly in order to gain high picks in the draft, Embiid has continued to shine. He was second in league MVP voting in 2020-21, behindNikola Jokic, having led the 76ers to the best regular season record in the Eastern Conference.
In the 2022-23 season, Embiid didclaim his first league MVP award. The 76ers, however, continue to disappoint in the postseason having failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals during his time there.
With seven All-Star Game selections to his name and NBA scoring titles in 2022 and 2023, Embiid is now gearing up to represent Team USA in Paris as they bid for a fifth consecutive Olympic title.
Joel EMBIID
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