Joel Embiid Became an American Citizen This Offseason
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Philadelphia 76ers star center Joel Embiid has had a busy offseason. Beyond putting in work on the basketball court everywhere, from Philadelphia to Los Angeles, Embiid also gained citizenship in two different countries.
Before the 2021-2022 NBA season wrapped up, rumors were spreading about Embiid looking into becoming a French citizen. The star center, who is originally from Yaoundé, Cameroon, wanted to get his French citizenship to possibly play for the country's national team in the offseason.
To no surprise, the team was ready to welcome the superstar big man in with open arms. Embiid never confirmed he would play for France or not, as he made it clear that the Sixers and the NBA were his top priority going into the 2022 offseason.
Therefore, the big man was focused on getting healthy in the offseason as he wrapped up the Sixers' 2022 campaign with several notable injuries, two of which required surgery to repair.
Boris Diaw, the French national team's general manager, told BasketNews over the summer that if it wasn't for an injury, Embiid could've been a participant at EuroBasket. While Embiid reportedly was granted French citizenship, the star center also became an American citizen recently as well.
According to Dan Gelston of the Associated Press, Embiid was sworn in as a citizen two weeks ago in Philadelphia. Per Gelston, Embiid's son was the motivation behind the decision.
"I've been here for a long time," Embiid told The Associated Press Thursday at training camp at The Citadel. "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 becoming an American citizen raises questions about his national team of choice. If the 76ers star decides to keep playing beyond the NBA season in the future, will he play for France, as many expected initially? Or will he try to represent the country he currently lives in?
According to Gelston, it's too early for Embiid to say. With the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season coming up, Embiid's sole focus is on winning an NBA title with the Sixers.
Considering Philadelphia is the first professional basketball team to give Embiid a chance following his lone season at Kansas, Embiid remains loyal to the franchise that drafted him in 2014. Therefore, the 76ers get all of his focus for the time being.
Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for All76ers, a Sports Illustrated channel. You can follow him for live updates on Twitter: @JGrasso_.
