MOSCOW, July 21 Most Valuable Player of the National Basketball Association ( NBA) season 2022/23 Joel Embiid from the Philadelphia 76ers said that a call from French President Emmanuel Macron did not convince him to play for the French at the Olympics in Paris.
Earlier, a native of Cameroon, Embiid, who also has US and French citizenship, stated that he was “sincerely torn” between the three teams that he has the opportunity to represent at the Olympics. As a result, the seven-time NBA All-Star made a choice in favor of the US team.
«»It was a pleasant conversation. First they called me from an unknown number, but I usually don’t answer such calls. Then a message came and I realized what was happening. We had a great conversation,” Embiid said in an interview with The New York Times .
The Olympics in Paris will take place from July 26 to August 11. In the final of the previous Olympic tournament, French basketball players lost to the Americans with a score of 82:87.