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The Philadelphia 76ers are hoping Joel Embiid will join the pantheon of all-time great Sixers players. The list includes superstars like Allen Iverson, Julius Erving, Charles Barkley, Wilt Chamberlain, and Moses Malone.
But Embiid has a shot to do something none of those other players managed. That’s because, in addition to their individual greatness, each one of those non-Embiid players shares another trait: they played for teams other than the Sixers. While each of their peaks (except for Chamberlain) came with Philadelphia, each one went on to wear the threads of another team.
But this summer, Embiid took a huge step towards playing with another team. Fortunately, it’s not one that will compete with the Sixers. Rather, Embiid was sworn in as an American citizen two weeks ago, according to Dan Gelston of The Associated Press. That means Embiid could suit up for the U.S. Men’s National Basketball Team in the future. But that might not be his paramount concern at the moment, with the Sixers set to begin their preseason circuit on Monday.
At training camp on September 29, Embiid opened up about his decision to become a U.S. citizen.
Embiid Motivated by More Than Basketball in Citizenship Choice
For Embiid, the decision to become an American citizen had less to do with his future options on the hardwood and was more of a close-to-home choice.
“I’ve been here for a long time,” Embiid said. “My son is American. I felt like, I’m living here and it’s a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?”
Embiid was born and raised in Cameroon. Earlier in the summer, Embiid was looking to get his French citizenship in order to play for the French National Team at EuroBasket earlier this month.
Unfortunately, Embiid’s lingering injuries from last season prevented him from playing. But France’s coach Boris Diaw confirmed that had injuries not been an issue and had Embiid secured his French license in time, Embiid could have played for France. Even still, with his status as a French citizen confirmed, nothing is stopping Embiid from joining the French team in future competitions.
The French team could trot out a fearsome lineup including Embiid, Timberwolves star Rudy Gobert, and young phenom Victor Wenbanyama, who is predicted to be the No. 1 pick in next summer’s NBA draft.
The news about Embiid’s status as an American comes amid the American National Team’s teetering dominance on the world stage.
USA Basketball in Danger of Losing Top Rank
On September 27, Joe Vardon of The Athletic reported that USA basketball is in danger of losing its No. 1 ranking. But it’s not France that the U.S. is in danger of falling behind, but rather another team on the European continent.
“Maybe it won’t be this year, or next. But at some point, Spain or some other proficient basketball nation will take the top ranking from the Americans,” Vardon wrote.
After a strong showing at EuroBasket, Spain is poised to become the first team other than the United States to earn the world’s No. 1 ranking. So if Embiid was interested in playing for the United States nationally, he could potentially re-cast his role as both Sixers-savior and American-savior.
It might be unlikely, as Embiid could have stronger ties to his French peers. But at least we know red, white, and blue looks good on Embiid already, right?
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