NBA MVP Joel Embiid commits to play for U.S. over France, Cameroon ahead of Paris Olympics: reports

Joel Embiid will wear red, white and blue in Paris next summer — not rouge, blanc and bleu.

The NBA's reigning MVP and scoring champion has told USA Basketball that, after more than a year of deliberating, he has picked the Americans over France as his team for the Paris Olympics, according to a person with knowledge of the decision.

The Philadelphia 76ers' star let USA Basketball managing director Grant Hill know his mind was made up on Thursday, said the person, who spoke on condition of anonymity because Embiid has not yet revealed his choice publicly. Embiid is scheduled to speak at 76ers' camp in Fort Collins, Colorado, later Thursday.

ESPN first reported Embiid's decision.

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USA Basketball does not plan to name its team until the spring of 2024, but if healthy, Embiid would seem certain to have one of the 12 spots on the squad that will be coached by Golden State's Steve Kerr with assistants Erik Spoelstra of Miami, Tyronn Lue of the Los Angeles Clippers and Mark Few of Gonzaga. No player has been officially named to the team at this point.

The U.S. will try for a fifth consecutive gold medal at Paris next summer. Embiid joins a long list of top NBA players who are hoping or planning to play for the U.S. next summer, including Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Bam Adebayo, Devin Booker and many more.

Embiid became a U.S. citizen last year and could have also chosen to play for France — or even Cameroon, his homeland, if it qualified for the Paris Games. Cameroon will be among 24 teams playing for the final four spots in the 12-nation Olympic field next summer; the U.S., France, World Cup champion Germany, Serbia,