“You never know. I might play for the French national team but I might also play for Cameroon – Joel Embiid

Part of the world’s basketball fans is expecting a word from Joël Embiid, the young Cameroonian who is Philadelphia 76ers center and is rated as one of the best NBA players at the moment. They want to know if he will play for Cameroon or not.

To that question, some people (even some media) claim that he will. They base the claim on the words of the player’s father (who by the way is neither his manager nor his spokesman). Yet, Joël Embiid, 24, has not yet decided. Even if his native country is his « prime choice », he is still considering between France, the United States, and Cameroon.

“I have never said that I will play for France, I said that it was just an option. I must play for many years (without injuries) before I think of joining a national team. After that, it is complicated. I am from Cameroon but, there are many problems. They have to tend to them. I like my country, I am a patriot and I want to play it. If I have to choose, Cameroon will be my prime choice, if there is a good environment, because I am from there. But, I won’t be the only one to decide on a point in time. My current team which has invested $150 million on me will also have its say. It is a lot of money to let their player go in an environment without a good medical care. So, my native country, France, and the United States are my current options. I just want a good management”, he said a while ago to the French sports website “l’equipe”