76ers center Joel Embiid named to Team USA basketball roster for 2024 Paris Olympics
It's official, The Process is coming to Paris.
Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid was among 12 players named to USA Basketball’s men’s national team that will play in the 2024 Paris Olympics this summer.
This will be the first Olympic games for Embiid, a native of Cameroon who became a U.S. citizen in 2022. He chose to play for Team USA despite also having French citizenship.
representing the red, white & blue: @JoelEmbiid 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/7CAUqPGmEb
— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 17, 2024
Joel Embiid receives his @usabasketball jersey. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/3IldWwGY8U
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) April 17, 2024
"My son is American and I've been here for such a long time," Embiid said. "I just felt like, every decision I've made is just based on family."
Embiid was selected after recently returning from a torn meniscus in his left knee that sidelined him for the second half of the 2024 NBA season.
Upon his return, he led the 76ers to eight straight wins to secure the No. 7 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Sixers will play the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.
76ers-Heat: Sixers win without Joel Embiid, face Miami Heat in NBA play-in tournament. What to know
Team USA Olympic roster
Here is who else will be joining Embiid the 2024 Paris Olympics:
Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat
Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers
Kevin Durant, Phoenix Suns
Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Tyrese Haliburton, Indiana Pacers
Jrue Holiday, Boston Celtics
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics
The official Paris 2024 USA men’s basketball roster is here! 🇺🇸 #ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/GOLcDEgMCl
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) April 17, 2024
Embiid isn't the only newcomer to the USA roster, with Curry, Edwards, Haliburton and Leonard all set to make their international debuts.
The U.S. men have won four consecutive gold medals since finishing with a bronze medal at the 2004 Athens Games, which is considered a turning point in USA Basketball for the men. Jerry Colangelo helped turned the program around and made it appealing for NBA players to play in the Olympics for Mike Krzyzewski.
The U.S. will be favorites to win gold in Paris, and this may be the best team it sends to the Olympics since the 2012 London Olympics. The roster has size, scoring and defense — and star power.
Jeff Zillgitt contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Sixers' Joel Embiid joins Team USA basketball for 2024 Paris Olympics