It was in the air for a long time, it's now official. Joel Embiid has obtained French nationality. The Sixers' pivot can therefore play for the French Team. A news welcomed as a great disappointment by Sacha Giffa just like many other Cameroonian basketball fans who have shown great dismay with the news. The coach of the Cameroon basketball team told L'Equipe.
"With everything we see right now with African basketball, we must not lose our nuggets. They must stay on the continent, make it shine. Which European team has two top 20 NBA players (with Pascal Siakam)? I do not see any. Cameroon has that. With the elements that evolve in college, those who were drafted, players in Europe, we can really have a very, very good team, " says Sacha Giffa, also former French international (52 caps).
However, Sacha Giffa does not exclude a possible arrival of Embiid in Cameroon. "I think he has personal reasons, that's why he chose the French nationality. The door remains open. The day he feels ready, we are there. With the pool we have, he is a spearhead, our best player. But the Cameroon team is obliged to move forward without him, and we'll make do."
