Joël Embiid, the NBA star playing with the Philadelphia 76ers, considers himself above all to be Cameroonian. In an interview with the New York Times, he explained:
"I consider myself a Cameroonian. This will always be my country..I was born there, and from what I saw growing up – wrestling – I will always identify with it. That's one of the reasons I ended up being successful: because of the way I was raised, the environment I grew up in."
.Although feeling deeply Cameroonian, Embiid chose to represent the United States at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. However, he clarified that this decision was very difficult for him, as he also has French nationality.
.“One thing that has always been known is that Cameroon are first choice and if they qualify, I play for my home country. .I had the opportunity to speak with the French president about what was happening and I told him that one thing that bothered me a lot was the relationship between France and Cameroon and African countries in general. There's a lot going on there. .there is a lot of reluctance to expel the French because there have been so many years of oppression. So that was my state of mind. My family still lives in Cameroon and I don't want to put them through all this. .I want them to be safe, and the relations between France and Cameroon or Africa in general are just not good.
.The 30-year-old also confided that he would have played for Cameroon if they had qualified for the Games: "One thing I always knew is that Cameroon is the first choice , and if he qualifies for the Olympics, I will play for my home country."
.thus, despite his final choice to represent the United States, Joël Embiid remains very attached to his Cameroonian roots and considers Cameroon to be his true country.
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