NBA Rumors: Team USA considering adding Joel Embiid for next Olympics

Team USA will go for their fourth straight gold medal in men’s basketball at the Paris 2024 Olympics. They could have a new force joining them in pursuit of gold.

MVP winner Joel Embiid may be suiting up in red, white and blue next summer. Former NBA player Grant Hill, who works with USA Basketball, gave an insight to the potential move. He reported on SiriusXM NBA radio that USA Basketball has contacted Embiid about potentially playing for them next summer.

Embiid has not suited up at the Olympics or a FIBA World Cup before. He was born in Cameroon and was expected to play for their national team as a youth. However, he never played a game for his home country.

Joel Embiid has three choices for next year's Olympics.

Embiid was on the preliminary roster for Cameroon for the 2017 AfroBasket tournament but did not compete.

He gained citizenship in the United States in September 2022, making him eligible to play for the team. He was also granted citizenship of France in July 2022 and has the option to play for all three nations.

France will likely try to recruit Embiid, too. They will be itching to win gold on home turf during the Paris Games. France has dramatically improved on the men’s basketball front.

They beat Team USA in group play during the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. The US got their revenge, though, besting then in the gold medal match.

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Is Team USA-target Joel Embiid playing in the FIBA World Cup?

France has NBA talent on its roster now even without Embiid. Evan Fournier, Rudy Gobert, Nicolas Batum and Frank Ntilikina are all on the team’s World Cup roster.

France is also one of the favorites at the upcoming FIBA World Cup. Embiid did not join the US or France for this tournament. He may be watching closely to see which team finishes better.

The US is the favorite to win the tournament, with a roster of 12 NBA players, the most of any team. However, Team USA is sending a young team with zero combined Olympic or World Cup game experience.

Embiid would have a much larger role on the French team. However, he could be a bad fit playing next to fellow center Rudy Gobert. Gobert has also played with the French team for years and developed a lot of team chemistry with the current squad.

Embiid would likely be the starting center for Team USA no matter who joins the roster for the Olympics. He could also have more chemistry playing alongside all NBA players who he faces regularly during a season.