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Joel Embiid decides to play for USA — not France — in Paris Olympics

Joel Embiid will wear red, white and blue in Paris next summer — not rouge, blanc and bleu.

The NBA's reigning MVP and scoring champion has told USA Basketball that, after more than a year of deliberating, he has picked the Americans over France as his team for the Paris Olympics.

The Philadelphia 76ers' star let USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill know his mind was made up and then made the decision public on Thursday. And one of the reasons Embiid cited in what had him pick the U.S.: His son is American.

''I've been here for such a long time,'' Embiid said in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the 76ers are having training camp — and where Embiid met with Hill this week.