Lakers News: LeBron James Reacts To Joel Embiid Committing To US Olympic Team
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After an embarrassing effort in this summer's FIBA World Cup, Team USA's basketball program is making a renewed effort to reload prior to the 2024 Olympics.
A handful of NBA stars have already pledged to join LeBron James in what's looking like a highly anticipated field in the French capital city of Paris. The likes of Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Rui Hachimura, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Franz Wagner, Josh Giddey, and Victor Wembanyama all should be there representing their countries in what's becoming an ever-evolving global game.
The biggest 'free agent' when it came to national team representation was Joel Embiid. The multi-time NBA All-Star is eligible to represent Cameroon, France, and the United States. The possibility of Embiid joining France in particular was somewhat of a scary proposition for the States, who at this point lack high-level depth up front.
Fortunately for Team USA, Embiid pledged his services to the States -- primarily out of respect for his son (who is an American). When told of the news, James had a cheeky reaction.
James - "What happened?
Reporter - "[Embiid] committed."
James - "That's awesome. To us?"
Reporter - "Yep."
James - "Great. That's big time."
Reporter - "Did you make any calls to him?"
James (smiling) - "I have no idea. I appreciate it!"
Though James didn't admit to speaking with Embiid directly, one could read in-between the lines here when watching his body language. James was visibly happy over hearing the news of Embiid's commitment.
Potential 12-Man Team USA 2024 Olympic Roster:
PG: Steph Curry // Damian Lillard
SG: Devin Booker // Anthony Edwards
SF: Kevin Durant // Kawhi Leonard // Jayson Tatum
PF: LeBron James // Anthony Davis // Draymond Green
C: Joel Embiid // Bam Adebayo
Throughout the FIBA World Cup, the Americans were beaten up badly on the boards. There was a general lack of size and physicality up front, and other nations were clearly taking advantage of this weakness.
With Embiid now in the fold, he helps to solve this issue tremendously.
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