US broadcaster ESPN reports that the Cameroon-born 28-year-old striker announced on Thursday that he had taken the oath of US citizenship two weeks ago in Philadelphia.
The NBA’s top scorer of the past season emphasizes that his family – the basketball player’s Brazilian girlfriend Anne de Paula and their two-year-old son – played a key role in making the decision.
“I’ve been here a long time,” Embiid told the AP during Sixers training camp in Philadelphia. “My son is American. I thought it was a blessing to be American living here. So I asked, why not?”
Embiid graduated from high school in the state of Florida and played a season at the University of Kansas, but in 2014, the “76ers” selected him in the NBA draft with the third overall pick.
It has already been reported that he also became a French citizen in July, with France hoping that he will represent that country’s national team. Embiid has not represented Cameroon in official FIBA games.
“I just want to be healthy and win the NBA championship. Then we’ll see what’s next,” the basketball player told AP about this topic.
After missing his first two NBA seasons due to injuries, Embiid has been a dominant force in the NBA over the past six seasons. Last season, Embiid set career highs in games played (68) and minutes played (33.8 average), while his 30.6 points per game made him the first non-American player to win the title of the NBA’s leading scorer.
He also had career bests in assists (4.2) and steals (1.1) in the regular season, while also grabbing 11.7 rebounds and blocking 1.5 shots.
Embiid is a five-time All-Star, a four-time All-Defensive Player of the Season and a four-time All-Defensive Player of the Season selection.
Over six seasons, Embiid has played 328 games in the NBA, averaging 26 points, 11.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game.
