18 Days Since ‘Gold Declaration,’ Victor Wembanyama Opens Up About Joel Embiid’s Decision

Nithin Joseph | 08/10/2023
18 Days Since ‘Gold Declaration,’ Victor Wembanyama Opens Up About Joel Embiid’s Decision

The 2024 Olympics in Paris is just around the corner, and athletes around the world are excited. In particular, the NBA has been buzzing with a lot of chatter, especially after Team USA’s disappointing performance at the FIBA World Cup. In fact, Joel Embiid declared his intention to represent the United States next year. A huge announcement, that received a lot of attention across the league. Recently, the league’s newest prospect, Victor Wembanyama was asked about this.

Wemby will also be at the 2024 Olympics, representing France. Having made a bold declaration 18 days ago that he would win Gold for his country, the San Antonio Spurs star shared his disappointment over Jojo’s decision.

Victor Wembanyama feels sad for Cameroon following Joel Embiid’s decision

Just a few days ago, Joel Embiid made a huge announcement to the world that he would be representing Team USA in the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris. It was a difficult decision, but ultimately, it came down to the fact that he wanted to represent the nation where his son was born.

It was a purely emotional decision from Jojo’s end. But, it is one that has impacted not just the United States, but Cameroon and France as well. Given his ancestry, Embiid was eligible to represent Cameroon. Moreover, he also has French citizenship and thus could have played Les Bleus as well.

With the latter in mind, the NBA’s newest generational talent, Victor Wembanyama, reacted to the news. Speaking to French reporters, he claimed to not really have an opinion. However, he did feel sad for the country of Cameroon, which would have undeniably been a force to be reckoned with if Embiid was on the team.

It certainly is bad news for the African nation but great for Team USA. With the reigning MVP on their roster, they will be hoping for redemption at the Olympics following a disappointing showing at the FIBA World Cup. However, they will have to go through a France team that is also looking to redeem themselves, and will likely be led by Wembanyama.

Wembanyama sat out of the FIBA World Cup in order to prepare for the upcoming NBA season

The French team, much like the US, was disappointed at the FIBA World Cup. They were far from their usual selves, and one of the reasons was the absence of Victor Wembanyama. The 19-year-old sat out and did not participate in the tournament for a good reason. With the 2023-24 season around the corner, Wemby wanted to prepare for his first year as an NBA superstar.

In fact, the youngster played his first game in front of the San Antonio Spurs faithful last night. He laced up for a practice scrimmage, where he showed up and showed out.

There are a lot of expectations on his shoulders heading into the new season. Considered by many to be the greatest prospect since LeBron James, the center, fondly referred to as the “Alien”, has a lot to prove.

Post Edited By: Hitesh Nigam
Joel Embiid Victor Wembanyama

About the author

Nithin Joseph

Nithin is a content writer at The SportsRush. Like his favorite athlete Kobe Bryant, the company has helped Nithin elevate his writing skills to a whole new level, especially as an NBA content writer. With over 1500 articles to his name, Nithin's love for the sport knows no bounds. And, as he continues to watch the sport on a daily basis, he hopes his fascination with the NBA, especially the Miami Heat will inspire more and more readers to give the sport a chance. Perhaps, one day making basketball in India as big as it is in the United States.

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