The past two months have tested Joel Embiid in ways few could have anticipated.

The two-time NBA scoring champion was highly criticized for his decision to play for Team USA over the home team France at the Paris Olympics Men’s Basketball Tournament. Embiid, born in Cameroon—a former French territory—asked for French citizenship and was granted it in 2022. The following year, the USA also gave him citizenship as he has been living in the country since he was 16 years old. 

Ultimately, Embiid chose Team USA, citing the tensions between Cameroon and France as the primary reason for his decision to spurn Les Bleus.

The French fans were clearly unhappy with Embiid’s decision and booed him every time that he touched the ball during the Olympics. This only compounded the difficult situation of the 7’0 center who had been struggling to adapt to the international style of play and mesh with his All-Star teammates.

Embiid’s Olympic journey got off to a rocky start. In Team USA’s first exhibition game, he fouled out after just 12 minutes on the court, contributing only five points. He was much better over their next four tune-up games, averaging 11.8 points, but was ineffective once again in his Olympic debut where he scored only four points in 11 minutes in their win against Serbia. 

This led to Embiid’s low point, as he was benched by head coach Steve Kerr in the USA’s next game–a 103-86 win versus South Sudan.

However, this DNP proved to be a wake up call for the 2023 NBA Most Valuable Player. He returned to the starting line-up in their next game and went on a three-game tear that saved Team USA’s campaign. 

Embiid responded by scoring 15 points in their final group stage game versus Puerto Rico and 14 in only 12 minutes in their blowout win in the quarterfinals against Brazil. He then went toe-to-toe with Nikola Jokic in the semifinals to help the USA rally back from a 17-point deficit to take a 95-91 win. 

The seven-time NBA All-Star could not have picked a better time to play his best game for Team USA, as he put up 19 points on eight-of-11 shots, two three-pointers, four rebounds, two assists, and a block in 26 minutes. He played a crucial role on defense, helping limit Jokic to only seven-of-17 shooting, and was relentless in attacking his rival at every opportunity on the other end of the floor. 

This match-up with Jokic was exactly the reason why the USA recruited Embiid to join their side and he lived up to expectations when he was needed the most. 

Come the gold medal game against France, Embiid was limited to only four points in 11 minutes as Kerr went with Anthony Davis for key stretches of the contest to match-up with the mobile Victor Wembanyana. Nonetheless, Team USA came away with a 98-87 win to secure its fifth consecutive gold medal and the first of Embiid’s international career.

Winning the gold over France and its raucous crowd was the perfect way for Embiid to cap off this campaign. He showed resilience all throughout, from ignoring the jeers and the criticism to coming up big in the most crucial of moments versus Serbia. It was indeed a difficult journey, but winning gold makes it all worthwhile.

Embiid hinted that this might be his one and only tour of duty with Team USA, as he would prefer to suit up for Cameroon if they manage to qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. If this proves to be the only time that he dons the stars and stripes, it should not detract from his major contribution to this program’s run to the 2024 gold medal.

Of all the players on this USA Men’s National Basketball Team, Embiid’s journey over the past two months has perhaps been the most compelling. Now, it will be interesting to see how he carries these experiences over when he returns to the Philadelphia 76ers for the upcoming NBA season where he will once again be vying for his first ever NBA title.