Joel Embiid Commits to Superstar-Studded Team USA for 2024 Olympics

76ers star center Joel Embiid has made the decision to represent Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics, he revealed on social media.

Early Thursday morning, the 29-year-old reigning NBA MVP, who is making his first Olympics appearance, gave a verbal commitment to Team USA executive director Grant Hill. Being born in Cameroon, Embiid also holds dual citizenship in France and America, as of last year. When it came time to decide which country to play for, he stated it was a tough decision.

“I love all three options, you know, with my home country, which I love a lot,” Embiid said. “But I really want to participate in the Olympics, that’s been my goal and my dream. And you add that with the fact that my son is American, and I’ve been here for such a long time.”

Adding one of the best big men in the world to Team USA’s roster will undoubtedly be a great enhancement, as the Americans were forced to play “small ball” in recent world tournaments. Besides leading the NBA in scoring in each of the past two seasons, the 7-foot Embiid will single-handedly solve the team’s rebounding problem.

This is important to note, as Team USA showed great weakness in the paint in the previous two World Cups, which led to the team finishing in seventh place in 2019 and fourth place in 2023. 

Hill seemed thrilled by the decision.

“It’s exciting for USA Basketball that Joel Embiid wants to represent the United States,” Hill said in a statement. “As I’ve said before, I’m looking forward to the process of building the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team roster over the next several months.”

Embiid joins other NBA superstars who have elected to play for Team USA in the Olympics — a list that already includes LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum and Kawhi Leonard.

Other NBA stars, such as Damian Lillard, could be added to the list later on, as the Bucks’ new point guard is among players who have shown interest in helping the US avenge their recent world competition defeats.

With this in mind, after failing to win the World Cup each of the last two times, Team USA still has an opportunity to win their fifth straight Olympic gold medal. The US is the heavy favorite, as the only other countries to ever win a gold medal in the history of the Olympics are: the Soviet Union (1972 and ‘88), Yugoslavia (1980), and Argentina (2004). 

At the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, the USA was represented by the well-renowned “Dream Team,” and 16 years later at the Beijing 2008 Olympics came the “Redeem Team.” And now, after another 16 years have passed, the Paris 2024 Olympics is on the horizon, and this upcoming Team USA basketball roster might be the most star-studded team seen in recent memory.

With mentioning the players that have already committed, there appears to be a projected intimidating lineup of superstar talent with the best basketball players in the world all on one team.

That is to say, there might not be anyone on this planet that will be able to stop Curry and Lillard from shooting 30 feet from the basket, in addition to having to contain 6-foot-10 Durant’s pull-up jump shot. With Tatum and Booker scoring on the wing, and Leonard’s midrange game, and then James driving to the basket, there may be no answer on how to defend Team USA.

And now with Embiid at the center position, there seems to be an unbeatable ensemble of talent, as the Americans hope to bring home the gold medal in Paris.