All three passports, Embiid won't be able to win, right?

Joel Embiid is 29 years old and old enough to make some important decisions on his own, so he decided to represent the U.S. men's basketball team at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This means that he will not join the Cameroon, French or Chinese men's basketball team anytime soon.

According to Embiid, it was a "tough decision." Embiid was born in Cameroon and went to the United States to play at the age of 16; In July 2022, Embiid joined the French nationality, and the French men's basketball manager Boris Dior said that the team was ready for Embiid to join, "just waiting for the process"; Two months later, Embiid told everyone to don't worry, "I also became a U.S. citizen." ”

Exactly which team Embiid, who has a three-threat nationality status, will represent in international competitions has become a mystery. And the mystery is not on the surface, Embiid has never publicly stated who he will fight for.

The first is his native Cameroon. For a long time, Embiid has not hesitated to show people the African elements in him, shortly after entering the league he said that he killed African lions with his bare hands at the age of 6, and in 2023, when the battle with Jokic MVP is at its most critical moment, Embiid also confessed affectionately: "I come from Africa, the playing conditions are very poor, and MVP carries more important things for me." I want to continue fighting for the whole of Africa. ”

For Embiid, there are many ways to continue playing for the whole of Africa, but that may not include joining his country's national team. When Cameroon played in the World Cup qualifiers last year, Embiid's name was on the squad and there was a lot of anticipation, but Embiid did not come. Cameroon did not qualify for the World Cup, but they reached the main draw of the men's basketball qualifying tournament at the Paris Olympics, which means they still have a chance to appear at next year's Olympics, but Embiid will no longer be on their squad.

This incident is somewhat reminiscent of Olajuwon joining the U.S. men's basketball team, and the situation is indeed somewhat similar, Nigerian Olajuwon also went to the United States as a teenager, and did not represent the U.S. men's basketball team for the first time until 1996. Unlike Embiid, Da Meng said that he had never received a call to the Nigerian national team in the United States for so many years, and in order to fulfill his Olympic dream, he had to join the American nationality to play for the United States. This is Olajuwon's own interpretation, and of course if you ask the Nigerian Basketball Association officials at the time, you should get a different answer.

In fact, not many people really think that a star like Embiid who grew up under the American basketball system will actually return to play in China, and Congolese Ibaka joined Spain, and Alphabet never considered playing for Nigeria. The background of the so-called "playing for Africa" is mostly "playing for yourself". Embiid's logic might be this: I'm playing for myself, but I'm emphasizing African identity, so if I get an honor, it's a glory for Africa.

This logic seems to be affectionate, but it is actually a bit loophole, because according to reliable sources, there were no Africans on the North American continent. All black athletes who have received honors, going back 200 years, can probably claim to be fighting for Africa.

So Embiid's French citizenship in the summer of 2022 and Dior's declaration reinforce the belief in another possibility, with the 7-foot center joining Gobert and Venbanyama to defend Paris on behalf of France. And there is a reason why this possibility is widely accepted.

First of all, Cameroon was once a colony of France, one of the official languages is also French, France has been Cameroon's largest trading partner for a long time, until China replaced it, which is why the Chinese men's basketball team should also have a place in the game for Embiid is not a joke, before Embiid left Cameroon, the country had only two standard basketball training halls, one of which was built by China;

Secondly, the strength of the French men's basketball team is good, the 2019 Beijing World Cup eliminated the United States second team, the Tokyo Olympics group stage also defeated the serious American team, and finally won the silver medal, if Embiid parachuted into the French team, plus Gobert, Venban Yama, so that there is Gobert in the country, there is Wen Banyama, Embiid outside, the strength is terrifying, if the final win the gold medal, these three should be famous in history, I would like to call it the "mobile Maginot line".

Of course, when it comes to the Maginot Line, it can't help but remind people of the cruelty of World War II, recall the past glory years, and I don't know if Paris was not defended in those years, and the first to retreat was mercenaries from Cameroon. If the Great reads history at night, reading that Paris surrenders makes people exclaim, think about the current world champion Germany, turn two pages to see the Normandy landing, maybe blessed to the soul, so he chose the most difficult path to join the US men's basketball team.

Embiid explained his choice: "You know, I love my country, but I really want to play in the Olympics. ”

Cameroon reached the Olympic Qualifying Tournament, but only had four qualifying places. Cameroon wants to kill a bunch of European teams to enter the Olympics, without Embiid is an impossible task, with Embiid is also a difficult task, even if he loves the motherland, the gentleman is not willing to stand under the wall, not to mention the logic that playing for a strong team can also win glory for the motherland is still shining in Embiid's mind. So first exclude Cameroon.

Then he went on to France: "Thank you for being willing to let me join." ”

No more explanation. The explanation is that the aggressor does not share the sky!

As for joining the United States, Embiid said two more things: "No, no, no, playing with many stars such as LeBron, Curry, Durant, Booker and my father was not a key factor in my decision. ”

"I just want to help the U.S. team, which didn't win a medal at this summer's World Cup, get back to the top of international basketball."

This is true, the US men's basketball team only finished fourth in this year's World Cup. But behind this fact is that the French men's basketball team did not even enter the World Cup round of 16.

Maginot and Normandy, unquestionable rational choice. And beyond reason, Embiid is not impersonal, and Embiid is tender when he talks about another reason for joining the U.S. men's basketball team: "My son is an American, and I am happy to have the opportunity to win him an Olympic gold medal. ”

You can't question such a reason, but I don't know if Embiid's Brazilian wife has any other opinions. Regardless of the opinions of others, and regardless of the unjust death of the African lion in Cameroon, at least Embiid has made up his mind to go this way. That's certainly great news for Team USA, at least team general manager Grant Hill has been courting Embiid for a long time until he met with Embiid at 76ers training camp this week. A few days later, Embiid gave his decision. His addition addressed at least some of the obvious weaknesses of the U.S. men's basketball team on the international stage: height and defense. Obviously, compared with the American team of Bronson's control and Hart center, the combination of Durant center and Kurrienbid double backcourt is obviously much more stable.

But such a combination is not infallible, and in addition to technical problems, it can also have two problems.

First of all, the Paris Olympics will open on July 26, 2024, and whether Embiid can make it to the Olympics is a huge question. Even if he makes it to the Olympics, the team faces another, perhaps tougher, problem.

In 2008, the US men's basketball team formed a revenge team, and on the surface this team was flawless, but we learned afterwards that the run-in in character of the two top stars James and Kobe Bryant, and the absolute authority of Coach K was the basis for this team to eventually shape the legend. Now we are facing the US men's basketball team, to avenge the World Cup that Americans have never been able to see, not to mention the unknown teacher, may not be so motivated. The foundation it forms seems to be more like an innings of the 40-year-old Jen, a resounding show, a global farewell game to cover, and such a team seems to have little to do with the grand narrative of Africa or even the United States, and looks like part of a grand private retirement ceremony, or a beginning.

So where exactly is Embiid's scene? Over the past three years, we've seen Embiid perform in the MVP race, we've seen Embiid's performance after being out of the playoffs, and we've heard how Embiid evaluates his teammates, how he evaluates his opponents. We all know what a dramatic person Embiid is. And Embiid, who likes to perform, joins such an American team, which is no longer the most difficult road to simply replicate Durant's "we were champions before you come, and we are still champions after you go", which is almost the basketball version of "Birdman": a superhero actor who has been a passing superhero actor who meets a supporting actor who likes to add drama to himself on a stage play trying to save his career.