"They still accept him after he betrayed them": Fans react after Joel Embiid receives the 'Order of Valor' award in Cameroon

Add the Medal of Commander of the Order of Valor to NBA superstar Joel Embiid’s list of accomplishments. Cameroon honored the Philadelphia 76ers franchise cornerstone after helping Team USA to the gold medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Embiid is Cameroonian but also has American and French citizenship.

“The Process” chose to play for the USA as his home country didn’t qualify for the Olympics. His decision to suit up for USA Basketball made him a villain to the French who thought the big man would wear the Les Bleus jersey.

Per TMZ Sports, Cameroon President Paul Biya honored Joel Embiid for “exceptional contributions in the fields of arts, science, agriculture, commerce and industry.

Basketball fans on X, formerly Twitter, promptly reacted to the said news:

“I’m so surprised that they still accept him after he betrayed them”

@19_loading quickly took a shot at Embiid:

“Joel Embiid was awarded the Order of Valor before he made a Conference Finals”

One fan provided a sly reason why Cameroon gave Embiid the honor:

“They tryna to get him to play for the team in 2028”

Another fan had the same thought:

“Tampering for the next Olympics already starting”

Embiid lived the first 15 years of his life in Cameroon where former player Luc Mbah a Moute paved a path for him in basketball. The future NBA star was a “Basketball Without Border” Africa camper in 2011. He has been in the USA since high school when he played for Montverde Academy in Florida.

When Joel Embiid committed to play for Team USA, he called it a “tough decision.” He gave the biggest reason for his decision to play with the Americans in his announcement:

“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.”

It seems like Cameroon understood why he made his choice and has just honored him for “outstanding service” to the country.

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Joel Embiid might play for Cameroon in the 2028 Olympics

Joel Embiid was ecstatic following Team USA’s gold-medal-winning campaign in the Paris Olympics. After struggling in the preliminary stage, he played much better in the semi-finals against Serbia and in the championship game versus France. It might be the last time basketball fans will see “The Process” play for Uncle Sam on the international stage.

Embiid had this to say about his future in the Olympics after receiving gold as part of USA Basketball:

"It's been a good experience. It’s been a grind, being away from home and family for a few weeks. But the group of guys we have made it easy. Paris is a great city and the next one is LA. It might not be with Team USA, it might be with Cameroon."

If Embiid had any doubts remaining, the Medal of Commander of the Order of Valor might have changed his mind. Cameroon just has to emerge from the tough African qualifiers to hopefully get its superstar to play for them in the 2028 Olympics.