Cameroonian NBA player Joel Embiid plays for the Philadelphia 76ers. His path to the NBA began when he came to America as a teenager to attend Montverde Academy, a prep school in Florida.
He arrived in the United States knowing little English and having no prior basketball experience. He had a happy childhood in Cameroon, where he played volleyball and soccer. He was a strong midfielder on the soccer field and an intimidating presence on the volleyball court.
When he opted to play basketball in the United States at the age of 16, he became the laughingstock of his teammates, but his coach, Kevin Boyle, recognized he had found a treasure. He remembers telling Embiid’s teammates at Montverde Academy that the Cameroonian would be one of the NBA’s top names, with a large wealth.
“Laugh all you want,” he told Embiid’s teammates, according to the Bleacher Report. “But in five years, you’re going to be asking him for a loan, because he’s going to be worth about $50 million.”
“I told them, ‘You have no idea how good that kid is going to be.’”
Three years later, Embiid became the starting center for a Kansas club that has won nine consecutive Big 12 regular-season championships. From there, he made it to the NBA, becoming the league’s third Cameroonian-born player.
In 2017, he signed a five-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers. According to Forbes, the contract included incentives worth up to $178 million. In August 2021, he added a four-year, $196 million deal.
In addition to his rich contract, the five-time All-Star has a slew of endorsement deals. In 2018, he secured a five-year footwear and clothing sponsorship deal with Under Armour, with a signature shoe due in 2020.
In May of this year, the Cameroonian and Philadelphia 76ers center won his first NBA MVP award, defeating two-time champion Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. He allegedly averaged 33.1 points per game to earn his second consecutive scoring title, 10.2 rebounds per game, and 4.2 assists per game, tying a career best.
Luc Mbah a Moute was one of the guys Embiid thanked after collecting the MVP award during his speech. Moute, who is also Cameroonian, found Embiid when he was a teenager.
“When I was 16, Luc Mbah a Moute invited me to come to the basketball camp that he puts on every summer in Cameroon, and the only reason was because I was like 6 foot 10,” Embiid wrote for The Players’ Tribune, explaining how Moute had helped him. “I was so nervous that I didn’t even show up the first day. The second day, I showed up, they put me in the game and I dunked on somebody.”
“They could see something in me,” Embiid wrote. “I got a spot at the Basketball Without Borders camp in South Africa. Two months later, I was on a plane to Florida to go to high school in America.”
He had never been away from his parents before coming to the United States. His initial weeks in the United States were difficult for him because of the language barrier, as he spoke primarily French. However, he convinced himself that he was in America for a reason and that he needed to accept all sorts of challenge and integrate as much as possible.
Embiid looked up to Nigerian NBA player Hakeem Olajuwon, who was the toast of the league at the time. Kobe Bryant also influenced him, and the Lakers became his favorite team.
Embid recently chose to play for the USA NBA team rather than Cameroon. Aside from Team USA, the French national basketball team was also interested in having him represent them at the Olympics. Several things, including the possibility to represent his son’s natal nation, influenced his decision, he said.
“I’m really proud and excited about this decision,” Embiid tweeted. “It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France, and the USA home. After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA.”
“I want to play with my brothers in the league. I want to play for my fans because they’ve been incredible since the day I came here. But most of all, I want to honor my son who was born in the US. I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him.”