Joel Embiid will not be welcome on the French national basketball team if Orlando Magic swingman Evan Fournier has any say in the matter.
Earlier this week when the Sixers played the Celtics in London, Embiid was asked about the possibility of playing for France some time in the future.
“I think it’s an opportunity,” said the 23-year-old big man, according to EuroHoops.net. “You never know. I might play for the French national team but I might also play for Cameroon. I have a lot of relatives in France.”
The French connection seems rather odd for Embiid, a Cameroonian native. But he has yet to officially suit up for his homeland on the national stage and is friendly with French star Nicolas Batum. In 2014, Batum even tweeted him an invite to play for France, to which Embiid replied that he was not French.
@JoelEmbiid viens jouer avec nous toi
— Nicolas Batum (@nicolas88batum) September 6, 2014
@nicolas88batum je suis pas français ha
— Joel Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) September 6, 2014
Earlier this week however, Fournier, another prominent French player in the NBA, proved much less open to the idea and tweeted some major disapproval of the possibility of Embiid joining them on Team France.
Arretons avec les articles sur Joel en Edf svp ca en devient ridicule serieux
— Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) January 15, 2018
Pour moi jouer pour un pays avec lequel tu n'as pas d'attaches c'est dérangeant. L'équipe nationale c'est pas juste un challenge sportif.
— Evan Fournier (@EvanFourmizz) January 15, 2018
“Stop with the articles on Joel in the EdF [French national team] please, it becomes ridiculous seriously,” Fournier’s translated tweet read.
“For me playing for a country with which you have no ties is disturbing,” he added. “The national team is not just a sporting challenge.”
On one hand, it’s hard to fault Fournier for the pride that he has in his country. But it’s certainly an unwelcoming sentiment, and now we can add Fournier to the list of players who do not Trust the Process.
