France made a significant effort to recruit Joel Embiid to represent them in the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
However, Frederic Weis, a former French player famously dunked on by Vince Carter, suggested that France should ban Embiid in response to his decision not to play for them.
Joel Embiid, born in Cameroon, moved to the United States at the age of 16 with aspirations of playing basketball. He achieved this goal impressively, playing at the University of Kansas before being drafted third overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014, quickly becoming one of the NBA’s dominant figures.
Despite declining to play for Cameroon, Embiid was presented with new opportunities when he obtained American citizenship in 2022, shortly after France offered him citizenship under a clause for cases of “exceptional interest.” This move was part of France’s strategy to potentially include him in a powerful frontcourt lineup with Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama for the Olympics.
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However, Embiid chose to represent the United States instead, a decision that was made official earlier this month when he, along with Kawhi Leonard, was named to the 12-man Team USA roster.
This choice did not sit well with Weis, who earned a silver medal in the 2000 Olympics and is now a broadcaster. On his RMC show, Weis expressed his disappointment humorously yet pointedly, suggesting that France should revoke Embiid’s French nationality and deny him entry during the Olympics. “I would take away his French nationality and ban him from entering France. You will come to the airport with Team USA and we will say: You don’t have the right to enter the territory, go to your home. You are Cameroonian, you are American, you are not French, go away,” Weis remarked.
Although Embiid speaks French and has family in France, his connection to the country is relatively limited.
Choosing to play for the U.S. was a strategic move, both competitively and circumstantially, which understandably left some French fans and commentators feeling disappointed about missing out on his talents.
