Team USA is fresh off defeating Team France to claim the gold medal in the 2024 Olympic Games. It took an entire team effort for the Americans to win the gold and it wasn’t easy.
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They survived a hard-fought matchup with Team Serbia in the semi-final, having to rally from down 13 points entering the fourth quarter. And in the finale, France stayed close throughout. But, in the end, the Americans’ firepower helped them prevail, 98-87.
The entire roster was stacked from top to bottom, including Kevin Durant, Steph Curry, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Joel Embiid, Jayson Tatum, and more. Throughout the tournament, different players stepped up to help Team USA win but none received more scrutiny than Embiid.
His slow start to the Olympics didn’t help but many threw shade at the Philadelphia 76ers’ star. Embiid didn’t pay attention to it and came up clutch in the semi-final win over Serbia to help the team advance to the gold medal game.
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Before the gold medal game, Embiid seemed to hint that his next appearance in the Olympics may not be with Team USA. Embiid may suit up for Team Cameroon for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
“It’s been a good experience,” Embiid said. “It’s been a grind, being away from home and family for a few weeks. But the group of guys we have made it easy. Paris is a great city and the next one is (Los Angeles). It might not be with Team USA, it might be with Cameroon.”
The decision by Embiid to play for Team USA in these games came with much controversy. Picking the United States over his home country of Cameroon left a bad taste in some people’s mouths. But Embiid has embraced everything about being with the Americans and it has resulted in him winning a gold medal.
For him to switch to play for Cameroon, he would need a waiver from both FIBA and Team USA. Joe Vardon and Sam Amick of The Athletic explained.
“After having played for the U.S. in a sanctioned international competition, he would need waivers from FIBA and USA Basketball to play for anyone else. Hard to imagine the U.S. granting the NBA MVP-caliber Embiid a waiver, so he could play against the Americans, at the Los Angeles Games.”
It remains to be seen what Embiid will do for 2028 but for now, he is a gold medalist and will celebrate that fact. He was a key contributor to Team USA and his place is forever cemented in the United States history.
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