Joel Embiid Believes He Could Have Been the GOAT

Credit...Philip Montgomery for The New York TimesThe Interview

Joel Embiid Believes He Could Have Been the GOAT

Credit...Philip Montgomery for The New York Times

July 20, 2024

If all goes according to plan, the star-laden American men’s basketball team will romp to a gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games next month. Which means that for one of the team’s linchpins, the Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid, the most complicated challenge may have been choosing to play for the United States in the first place.

Embiid, who is 30, is a native of Cameroon who also holds French and American citizenship. France aggressively courted Embiid, and his decision to instead join the U.S. team led to withering…