Joel Embiid is currently preparing for the Olympic Games with Team USA. He wants to win gold in Paris, but he doesn’t feel like an American – but he believes he could have been the G.O.A.T.
30 years old, Joel Embiid is still waiting for his first championship title in the NBA. But now he wants to make it happen at the Olympic Games in Paris. And it doesn’t look bad if you look at the American squad, who are sending their “Who’s Who” to the city of love.
Embiid himself is also taking part, but he doesn’t feel like an American, he revealed in an interview with the New York Times. “I can’t say that I feel like an American. I was born Cameroonian and that’s how I feel – it will always stay that way. That’s where I was born, that’s where I grew up and that’s where I saw the struggle to survive. That’s one of the reasons why I was successful. I started playing basketball when I was 16. Nowadays it’s not easy when you start so late. It was very hard, but I made it.”
Nevertheless, he also emphasized that it means a lot to him to be able to play for the USA now. “I’ve spent half my life here. I have a family, a great wife, a son, it all makes sense. I had the chance and I took it. “
Cameroon was always the first option
For a long time, it looked as if the Philadelphia 76ers center would play for France. The fact that it didn’t happen was down to the French, as he has now revealed. “I had the feeling that they wanted to pressure me into a decision, but I didn’t want that. I also didn’t like France’s behavior towards African countries. It didn’t help that they gave me an ultimatum. When I then spoke to the people from the US federation, it sounded much better. They gave me time and said: “We’d love to have you, but it’s no problem if you make a different decision. One thing was always clear to me: if Cameroon qualified for the Olympics, I would play for Cameroon. Since that didn’t happen, I chose the USA. “
With the USA, he now has an excellent chance of winning Olympic gold, but Embiid also points out that many players do not have the class they once had. “We definitely have incredible talent, but there is talent in other teams too. You also have to understand that many of our players have aged. LeBron is not the same as he was a few years ago – there’s a big difference. You can see that athletically he’s not as dominant as he once was. “
While referring to LeBron James and fellow veterans Steph Curry (36), Kevin Durant (35) and Jrue Holiday (34), Embiid said: “These are guys who have accomplished a lot in their careers, but today they’re old and not what they used to be.” In addition to the quartet, however, the USA also have many players who are in their prime or, as in the case of 22-year-old Anthony Edwards, are still on their way there.
Embiid sees his talent at G.O.A.T. level
Embiid is certainly right about one thing, though. The “veteran” US players have already achieved a lot in their careers, above all LeBron James, who prevented an embarrassment in the test against South Sudan with a game-winner to make it 101-100 and who, together with Michael Jordan, is repeatedly listed in the debate about the best basketball player in history, the G.O.A.T (Greatest of All Time). Embiid, by the way, thinks he could have been part of that debate as well.
“Yes, I think I would have been the contender if all those years of injuries hadn’t set me back. Time and time again I’ve had injuries at the wrong time. If I had stayed healthy throughout my career, it would be a different story. I think I had the talent to be in the debate. Of course it takes championships to do that, but you need good teammates for those. You need help.”
Well, in Paris he should get the help he wants, despite a few veterans
