Cameroonian-American professional basketball player Joel Embiid has hinted at the possibility of representing his home country, Cameroon, at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Embiid, who is close to winning a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Olympics Men’s Basketball final against France on Saturday, August 10, mentioned this during an interview with the New York Times.
He stated, “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,” emphasizing his desire to play for Cameroon if they qualify.
Embiid played a pivotal role in Team USA’s intense 95-91 win over Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday.
This win took the US team to the final against host nation France, a team Embiid almost joined before deciding to play for the USA in these Games.
Given the choice to represent the USA, France, or his native Cameroon, Embiid ultimately chose 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.
