Nicolas Batum invited Joel Embiid to play with French national team
Back when LeBron James was deciding between returning to the Miami Heat and going back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, Philadelphia 76ers rookie Joel Embiid was openly recruiting the four-time MVP on Twitter. While it was a lot of joking from Embiid, the No. 3 pick in the 2014 draft couldn't get a response from James and LeBron eventually joined the Cavaliers. Now during the FIBA World Cup, Embiid is the one being recruited to play for another team.
Embiid tweeted in French some words of encouragement for France as they played against and beat Croatia on Saturday. After the game, French forward Nicolas Batum responded to Embiid's tweets about France and told him he should join the French national team. Embiid laughed at the offer before informing Batum that the Cameroonian big man is not French.
It was worth a shot for Batum. He's just looking out for the future of French basketball on the international stage. Embiid will remain loyal to Cameroon and hopefully play for them on the international level next time the opportunity presents itself. The 2015 FIBA Africa Championship will be the next time Embiid is able to play for Cameroon, as they attempt to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
Considering Embiid is recovering from a serious foot injury and may miss his entire rookie season, perhaps Sam Hinkie won't allow his young center to play for the Cameroon national team before he plays a single game in the NBA. Although if the Sixers are still going with this tanking plan, Embiid could be cleared.
(H/T - Sportando)
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