76ers star Joel Embiid is now a legal citizen of the United States after obtaining citizenship in Philadelphia earlier this month, according to The Associated Press.
The 28-year-old Cameroonian shared Thursday during 76ers practice that he has officially acquired citizenship after taking the oath two weeks ago in Philadelphia. Embiid, who graduated high school in Florida and played one season at Kansas before being drafted third overall in 2014, told the AP his Brazilian girlfriend Anne de Paula and their two-year-old son were the main reason for the decision.
“I’ve been here a long time,” Embiid said. “My son is in America. I felt like, I’m living here and it’s a blessing to be in America. So I said, why not?”
Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, Embiid’s journey to the NBA began at the age of 16 when he moved to the US a year after he started playing basketball. He enrolled at the Montverde Academy, under the guidance of his coach and former NBA player Luc Mbah a Moute, before transferring after his freshman year to The Rock School in Gainesville, Florida, where he developed a national reputation.
Now entering his ninth NBA season, Embiid is preparing to lead the Sixers on their quest for an NBA title alongside James Harden and a strong core of supporting pieces. Thursday’s news, however, shifted focus back to the five-time All-Star’s Olympic ambitions ahead of the 2024 Summer Games in Paris.
Embiid, who has family in France, obtained French citizenship in July after rumors surfaced in May regarding his desire to compete internationally for the first time as a member of the national team. Despite the lingering questions, the big man moderated the conversation on Thursday, saying it was too late to think about the Olympics.
“I just want to be healthy and win a championship and go from there,” he told the AP.
It remains to be seen how he will fare in the World Series, Embiid has already shown that he is capable of competing on any given night after overcoming numerous injuries in his career.
Embiid is coming off an MVP-caliber campaign in which he averaged a career-best 30.6 points, 11.7 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 68 games. After finishing with a 51–31 record, the 76ers reached the Eastern Conference semifinals for the second year in a row but fell to the Heat in six games.
