Tag: Paris Olympics

Joel Embiid has a heartwarming reason why he chose to play for Team USA in the Olympics

The 2023 NBA MVP could have also played for France or Cameroon in the Olympics.

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid will officially represent Team USA during the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

Embiid had the unique option to represent the United States, France, or Cameroon (though they have not yet qualified). Even though France is the host nation and he is originally from Cameroon, the 2023 NBA MVP will headline a strong roster for Team USA.

The big man said that he had a simple reason why he chose to accept the offer from United States men’s basketball managing director Grant Hill and play for head coach Steve Kerr on Team USA.

According to Embiid, he made the decision for his son, Arthur.

Embiid said the following last year (via Associated Press):

“I’ve been here for such a long time,” Embiid said in Fort Collins, Colorado, where the 76ers are having training camp — and where Embiid met with Hill this week. “For the past few years, every decision I’ve made has been based on just family. My family, my son, and having the chance to represent a country like the U.S., with my son being born here … I love my home country, but I really wanted to play in the Olympics.”

That is a great reason for his decision! When he officially received his jersey, Arthur was there with him to celebrate.

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J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women at Summer Games

The collection is set to be available in early June.

J. Lindeberg has announced that they will be the official clothing partner of the Summer Games in Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028.

This comes as a great honor, and the brand released its exclusive USA Golf Collection to accompany the news. The collection combines performance, innovative technology and USA flag colors.

Featuring ClimaCool and 37.5 TM technology, UV50 sun protection garments and high flexibility fabrics, this will keep the athlete functional and comfortable.

Each piece is crafted using 3D technology to ensure proper fit, incorporating strategically cut lines that enhance body movement. The classic red, white and blue of the USA are woven into every design. This bold effort is a representation of the nation and its athletes, embodying the philosophy that to win, one must feel and look like a winner.

J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women's Summer Games
J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women’s Summer Games. (J.Lindeberg)

“We are thrilled to reveal our full USA Golf Collection to the press and attendees in Orlando at the upcoming PGA Show,” said Hans-Christian Meyer, CEO of J. Lindeberg. “Dressing the USA teams for the Summer Games in Paris 2024 and Los Angeles 2028 will be an honor that underscores our commitment to excellence in golf and sportswear design alike.”

J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women's Summer Games
J. Lindeberg to be official clothing partner of USA men and women’s Summer Games. (J.Lindeberg)

The collection is set to be available in early June, and the collection will turn heads in proper USA spirit. You can learn more about this collection here.

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Meet the 15 LPGA players ranked outside the top 200 on track to qualify for the Paris Olympics

A large part of the field for the 2024 Olympic Games remains relatively unknown to most golf fans.

While the race for powerhouse countries like the United States and South Korea is always interesting when it comes to the Olympic Games, a large part of the field remains relatively unknown to most golf fans.

As it currently stands, 15 players ranked outside the top 200 would qualify for the 60-player field. Many of those players do not have status on the LPGA.

With a qualifying cutoff date of June 24, or just after the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, players will have roughly six months to shore up a spot. The women’s Olympic event will be held Aug. 7-10, immediately after the men’s competition.

Here’s a review of how qualifying works:

The International Golf Federation utilizes the Rolex Rankings to create its own Olympic Golf Rankings. The top 15 players in the world are eligible for Paris, with a limit of four players from any given country. Currently, the United States is the only country with four players.

The rest of the field will come straight from the rankings, with a maximum of two eligible players from each country that does not already have two or more players in the top 15.

The host country, France, is ensured at least one spot, which will go to Celine Boutier, who is currently No. 3.

With a maximum of four players from the likes of the U.S. and South Korea, a number of highly-decorated players will once again be left at home.

Here’s a look at the 15 players currently ranked outside the top 200 of the Rolex Rankings (with their Olympic ranking) who have a shot at Paris:

Joel Embiid intends to play in the Olympics and may make his national decision within a few days

Joel Embiid would change everything for Team USA.

Joel Embiid, the NBA’s MVP, is the biggest wild card for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. He has four options about his plans for next summer.

Embiid has citizenship in three different countries. First, he can play for Cameroon, where he was born. Cameroon is slated as one of the 24 national teams that will compete for one of the final four spots in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July 2024.

Second, the big man can also play for France, which earned an Olympic berth as the host nation in the tournament. Third: He can suit up for the United States, which earned their qualifications during the FIBA World Cup.

Embiid can also skip out on the Olympics altogether, but that seems unlikely. Here is what he said during Philadelphia’s media day about his looming decision (via Olympics.com):

“My goal is to play in the Olympics,” Embiid said. “I love all three options. Cameroon — I [was] born there. I’m from there, and I always want to represent my country. … If we had a chance or if we were qualified for the Olympics, that would be an easy decision, but that’s still up in the air. … And then the USA, obviously they’ve been struggling the last couple of years, trying to get back on the top. And you’ve also got France, who’s up and coming.”

Fans won’t have to wait long for Embiid to make his choice, though.

According to the big man, he will make his decision sooner rather than later:

“I’m just thankful that I’m able to be in that situation. It is a tough choice, but I’m probably going to make that decision in the next few days.”

Even if Embiid does not decide to play for Team USA, there are several other NBA stars who have pledged to take the trip to Paris.

Some of those players include LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry and Jayson Tatum.

Embiid and Anthony Davis are likely the top priorities at center for Team USA. But if Embiid decides not to play, it isn’t the end of the world. Other options include Bam Adebayo, Draymond Green, Evan Mobley and Kevon Looney.

Team USA had a disappointing finish during the FIBA World Cup, though, and would assuredly get a tremendous boost if Embiid decides to play for them in Paris.

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24 national hoops teams who will compete for the final 4 spots in the 2024 Olympics

Luka Doncic and Giannis Antetokounmpo need these tournaments to make the Olympics.

Only 12 national teams will compete to win basketball gold at the 2024 Olympics in Paris and we already know eight of the competitors.

24 teams, however, are eligible to compete for the final four spots in the tournament. The following teams, many of which qualified based on their play at the 2023 FIBA World Cup, will be divided into four groups of six at the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July 2024.

Each tournament will be hosted by one of the six participating national federations. Each continent is expected to host one of the four FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

The winner of each of these four tournaments will join the eight teams that have already qualified, including the USA and Canada, at the Paris Olympics.

Some of the national teams with the most medals in Olympic basketball history (e.g. Spain, Brazil, Lithuania and Italy) are among those who will have to fight for a spot in Paris.

Several notable players (e.g. Slovenia’s Luka Doncic, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo, Dominican Republic’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Finland’s Lauri Markkanen and Latvia’s Kristaps Porzingis) will need to use this tournament to advance as well.

Ranking the Top 10 big men for Team USA if Joel Embiid declines invitation to Paris Olympics in 2024

Anthony Davis is the top option but there are some interesting sleepers, too.

After shockingly failing to medal during the 2023 FIBA World Cup, Team USA has lots of questions to answer before the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

One of the reasons why Team USA struggled to even earn a bronze medal was due to a lack of size in the frontcourt. They struggled on the defensive end of the floor and had a massive deficiency when it came to rebounding the ball.

This is a team that will need legitimate big men in order to compete with tough international talent in the post such as Serbia’s Nikola Jokic as well as France’s Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.

Team USA head coach Steve Kerr was asked about what changes may come before the Olympics and he mentioned that the team needed to have very specific intentions when it came to the types of big men they would target for the roster (via The Athletic):

“I think it’s a worthwhile point of discussion, but the discussion has to go to, ‘OK, then who is that?” […] “You can’t just say, we’re going to have size for size’s sake. You have to have players who are going to help you win, and you have to determine who those guys are. It’s not just the size, it’s the way the game is played. […] But I don’t think it’s as simple as saying it’s just size. I think you have to examine who you’re talking about if you go down that path.”

Of course, the first name that comes to mind is Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid. He could join the likes of Hakeem Olajuwon, who helped lead Team USA to win a gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta after he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

The six-time All-Star is an international free agent who is eligible to play for Team Cameroon (after they clinched a spot to compete in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament) as well as Team France and Team USA.

Team USA managing director Grant Hill said Embiid “knows our desire” to have him on the team. According to Brian Windhorst, however, it’s too early to assume that the league’s reigning MVP will decide to actually suit up for the Americans at the 2024 Olympics in Paris (via ESPN):

“Team USA has done some recruiting of Joel Embiid, who holds both United States and French citizenship, but the Philadelphia 76ers star has thus far been noncommittal.”

So if Team USA is not able to successfully recruit Embiid, here are the other top options that they could consider:

Here are the 8 teams that qualified for the 2024 Olympics in Paris at the 2023 FIBA World Cup

USA and Canada men’s basketball have both qualified for the Olympics.

Although each national team wants to win the tournament, the FIBA World Cup also helps determine what nations will qualify for the Olympics.

Only a dozen teams will compete in Paris and we already know six of those nations, which we will review below. The placements thus far are based on universality, to ensure each continent is represented, and performance at the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

The host nation (France) automatically earns a bid to play in the tournament. Two teams from the Americas, two teams from Europe, one team from Asia, one team from Africa and one team from Oceania will also get placement as well.

If a team is listed in bold, that means they have officially punched their ticket and will compete in the 2024 Olympics.

Three asterisks next to the nation indicate that the team made it to the final phase of the tournament before elimination but still qualified for a wildcard spot via the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament in July 2024.

Similarly, two asterisks next to the nation indicate that the team made it to the second round of the tournament before elimination but qualified for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament as well.

One asterisk next to the nation indicates that the team did not make it to the second round of the tournament but also managed to qualify for the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in the class of 17 – 32.

Meanwhile, a strikethrough on the team name suggests that based on their performance during the FIBA World Cup, the team did not qualify for any of the four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments.

The four winners of the four Olympic Qualifying Tournaments, meanwhile, will join the followng eight teams in Paris at the 2024 Olympics.

‘Simone vs Herself’ docuseries teases Biles’ possible return for Paris Olympics in 2024

Will Simone Biles be back for another Olympics?

Simone Biles’ experience this summer at the Tokyo Olympics didn’t go as planned, as the greatest gymnast in the world had to withdraw from most of the competition finals because of the “twisties” — a dangerous situation where gymnasts lose their sense of awareness in the air.

What she was feeling and how she persevered to still compete in the balance beam final and win bronze are thoroughly documented in the two-part finale of Simone vs Herself, a seven-episode Facebook Watch docuseries. The final episode dropped on Tuesday.

“If I were to walk away from the sport this moment, I’ve accomplished more than I’ve ever dreamed of or ever could have imagined,” Biles says in the docuseries finale. “Courage, standing up for yourself, resilience, bravery — there’s so much. I can’t be mad at my career. Even if it didn’t end how I wanted it, I can walk away from the sport and be completely content.”

But at the very end of the last episode, after all the credits, there is a teaser about Biles’ future in the sport. In an interview with one of Biles’ coaches, Cecile Landi, someone off camera asks: “Do you think that we’ll see her again competing?”

Landi nods, and then continues (at about 35 seconds left in the episode).

“Actually, she texted me a couple days ago,” Landi says. “And she said, the sentence was, ‘Haha, tell me why I’m thinking of 2024.’ And I sent a little GIF like, hmmmm? And she responded with like a ‘Haha’ whatever.

“And then I said, ‘Unfinished business?’ And she responded with, ‘Maybe.'”

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