Sixers News: France Reportedly Sets Deadline for Joel Embiid

The mystery of Joel Embiid’s playing status for next summer’s Olympics has led the French National team to set a deadline for his decision, according to EuroHoops.

Per the report, Federation President Jean-Pierre Situat revealed that he “expects an answer” regarding Embiid’s playing status by next month.

“It will happen very quickly in all cases,” Situat said, per EuroHoops. “We hope so, and I think he knows it. We may have an answer by October 10. We have set this deadline.”

Last summer, Embiid completed the steps necessary to become a French citizen. As a result, he’s become eligible to represent the country on an international stage. However, Embiid’s additional citizenship wasn’t limited to just France. In addition, he became a U.S. citizen as well.

To no surprise, Team USA has actively recruited the All-Star center as well. As some of the NBA’s biggest superstars, including LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, reportedly intend to play for the country next summer, it’s also been reported that Embiid is a key player on their radar.

So far, Embiid has refused to hint at which way he’s leaning. Throughout the 2022-2023 NBA season, Embiid declined to speak on which team he would represent on an international stage, keeping focus on the Philadelphia 76ers and their run in the NBA.

While Embiid could’ve competed for a team in the FIBA World Cup this past summer, the Sixers center instead spent his time recovering from a knee injury and working towards Philadelphia’s 2023-2024 campaign, which begins next month.

If France sticks to its early October deadline, we could have a better idea of Embiid’s path beyond the Sixers. At this time, however, he’s remained undecided publicly.