CHARLESTON, South Carolina, USA. (AP) — Joel Embiid is a US citizen.
Originally from Cameroon, Embiid said he was sworn in as a US citizen two weeks ago in Philadelphia. The NBA scoring champion and 76ers All-Star center said his family — Embiid and his Brazilian girlfriend Anne de Paula have a young son — played a big role in his decision.
“I’ve been here a long time,” Embiid told The Associated Press Thursday at training camp at The Citadel. “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?
Embiid, who played college basketball for one season at Kansas, also has French citizenship. He said that it is too early to think about what country he could potentially represent in basketball at the national team level.
The 28-year-old Embiid posted a career-best 30.6 point average in 68 games last season. The 7-footer also averaged 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists to help Philadelphia reach the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second straight year. Embiid averaged 23.6 points and 10.7 rebounds in the postseason despite playing through injuries to his hand and face.
During pre-game introductions for the 76ers it was advertised that Embiid was playing from Kansas, but halfway through last year’s season he began introducing himself as coming from Cameroon. He could try a tongue twister this season.
“We’re going to say Cameroonian, American and French,” he said, laughing.
