76ers star Joel Embiid is now officially a citizen of the United States after obtaining citizenship in Philadelphia earlier this month, according to The Associated Press.
The 28-year-old Cameroon native shared Thursday during 76ers training camp that he officially obtained citizenship after being sworn in two weeks ago in Philadelphia. Embiid, who graduated from high school in Florida and played one season at Kansas before getting drafted third overall in 2014, told AP his Brazilian girlfriend Anne de Paula and their two-year-old son were a big reason for the decision.
“I’ve been here for a long time,” Embiid said. “My son is American. I felt like, I’m living here and it’s a blessing to be an American. So I said, why not?”
Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Embiid’s road to the NBA began at age 16 when he moved to the U.S. one year after he began playing basketball. He enrolled at Montverde Academy, the alma mater of his mentor and former NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute, before transferring after his first year to The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida, where he eventually rose to national prominence.
Now entering his ninth NBA season, Embiid is preparing to lead the Sixers on its quest to an NBA title alongside James Harden and a solid cast of supporting pieces. Thursday’s news, however, temporarily shifted the focus back to the five-time All-Star’s Olympic aspirations ahead of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
Embiid, who also has family in France, obtained French nationality in July after rumors emerged in May regarding his desire to compete internationally for the first time as a member of the country’s national team. Despite the lingering questions, the dominant big man deflected the chatter Thursday, saying it’s too early to think about the Olympics.
“I just want to be healthy and win a championship and go from there,” he told the AP.
While it remains to be seen how he would fare in international competition, Embiid has already more than proven he’s capable of producing against any competition on any given night after overcoming numerous injuries in his career.
Embiid is coming off an MVP-caliber campaign in which he averaged a career-best 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 68 games. After finishing with a 51–31 record, the 76ers reached the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year but fell to the Heat in six games.
