Joel Embiid obtained French nationality a couple of weeks ago, but his first appearance with France is not imminent, since he must first complete the bureaucratic process in order to be selected and more importantly, he is still recovering from the surgery he underwent on his right thumb two months ago. Just about the current situation of the pivot Boris Diaw has spoke. The former NBA player, and now general manager of the French basketball team, clarifies the exact point of the process that will allow Embiid to play with the French team.
“Your naturalisation application has been accepted. We know your are still waiting for your French passport. When you get it, you can start the process and apply for a FIBA license for the national team,” he says in statements collected by the Basket News portal.
Although the last step, that of FIBA´s approval, has not yet been taken, Diaw clarifies that he center´s withdrawal is mainly due to the fact that he is not physically well. “He would have liked to play this summer of he hadn´t been injured, but he had surgery on his hand and hasn´t played basketball again yet“, he says.
Given this situation, everything indicates that Embiid´s debut with France will take place in the 2023 World Cup, which will take place from August 23 to September 10 in the Philippines, Indonesia and Japan. That should be the starting point before the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
Jorge Barbero
