While “the basketball world” is often a hyperbolic expression, Joel Embiid’s announcement Thursday that he plans to play for the United States in the 2024 Olympics drew an understandably widespread reaction.
For LeBron James, Embiid’s decision was very good news to receive.
“Oh, that’s awesome,” James said when The Los Angeles’ Times Dan Woike informed him Embiid had committed to Team USA. “To us? Great. That’s big time.”
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Asked if he’d made any calls, James immediately said, “I have no idea” with a smile.
James, who picked Embiid first in last year’s All-Star Game, may very well pursue a third Olympic gold medal next summer alongside the reigning MVP.
Embiid told reporters at the Sixers’ training camp in Fort Collins, Colorado that his choice between Team USA, France and Cameroon was a “tough” one.
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As he did at his MVP press conference, Embiid cited his son Arthur, who turned 3 years old in September.
He concluded a statement on Twitter by writing, “Most of all, I want to honor my son who was born in the US. I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him.”
Embiid ultimately decided against being a teammate of French center Rudy Gobert.
“I am happy for him,” Gobert told reporters in Abu Dhabi, where the Timberwolves played a preseason game Thursday. “I guess we’ll see him in Paris, but I’m happy for him as long as he does what makes him happy and he follows his heart. That’s what matters.
“I think it’s definitely something that they needed. They needed a dominant big man, so they’re definitely going to have a good roster next summer.”
French national team captain and Clippers forward Nicolas Batum told reporters he wasn’t surprised by Embiid’s decision, per The Los Angeles Times’ Andrew Greif.
“I was more than happy to welcome him to the team, and he took the best decision for him,” Batum said. “I would have taken the same one.”
Meanwhile, Team USA and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was quite pleased.
“I couldn’t be more excited about Joel’s decision,” Kerr told reporters at Warriors training camp. “We talked last year at both the meetings in Philadelphia and here. We were kind of recruiting him, and I was hoping that he would decide to play for us. … Hearing the news was great and I’m really, really thrilled to have Joel on board.”