“I never forced his hand,” assures Grant Hill after the selection of Joel Embiid with Team USA

By Le Figaro with AFP

Published 3 minutes ago, Updated now

Joel Embiid, the center of the Philadelphia 76ers. TIM NWACHUKWU / AFP

Born in Cameroon, the Sixers pivot hesitated for a long time between the United States and France to compete in the Paris Olympic Games.

“I never forced his hand”, assured the manager of the American basketball team Grant Hill on Wednesday about pivot Joel Embiid, selected with Team USA for the Paris Olympic Games (July 26 – August 11) after hesitating to choose France. Embiid is one of the twelve players chosen by the United States on Wednesday, forming a new “dream team” with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant.

Born in Cameroon, the 30-year-old pivot, MVP of the 2022-2023 season and NBA star of the Philadelphia 76ers, has had American and French passports for several months, and has long hesitated between the two countries to compete in the Paris Games.

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“We learned in August or September 2022 that Joel had become an American citizen. I was aware that he was also in the process of obtaining French nationality. I met with Joel with the help of the Sixers, four days before the start of the 2022-2023 season. I went to his house, we talked well, about our way of seeing things, about the opportunity that presented itself, about the experience that I had myself as an Olympic athlete (1996)”said Grant Hill, manager of Team USA, at a press conference.

“At no time did I give him an ultimatum”

“I tried to get him to play with us at the World Cup (summer 2023), but he was still undecided (…) then last fall when I heard that another country (France ) had given him a deadline to decide, I contacted him again. I secretly traveled to Colorado where the Sixers were having training camp. We had another very good discussion on several topics. I did not force his hand, at no time did I give him an ultimatum. The next day, it was my birthday (October 5), he called me. He wished me a happy birthday then said “it’s okay, I’m going with you guys.” It’s honestly my best gift in many years.”

The president of the French basketball federation Jean-Pierre Siutat, who explained that he had helped Embiid in his efforts to become French, said he “disappointed to have spent so much energy” for the 76ers star. “We’re looking forward to playing with him, we haven’t had a center like that since 1996 I think, I was on the team, we had Hakeem Olajuwon, David Robinson and Shaquille O’Neal. With Embiid, Bam Adebayo and Anthony Davis, we have enormous versatility among our “bigs”. And we will need it because we will face pivots with varied profiles during the competition.added Grant Hill, crowned Olympic champion in 1996 in Atlanta.