Joel Embiid: 'I Don't Care About' Facing Nikola Jokić; I'm Focused on Team USA

Joel Embiid and Team USA will get a tough matchup right out of the gate at the Olympics later this month.

The team will face off against three-time MVP Nikola Jokić and the Serbian national team on July 28 in their first game of the Olympics. As the United States continues to prepare for Paris, Embiid said he's not worried about Jokić for now.

"I don't care about Jokić. I'm playing for my national team," Embiid said, per the Denver Post's Troy Renck. "It's all about focusing on ourselves and trying to make sure everybody's on the same page. When we get there, we've got to know what we got to focus on. Right now it's just about finding ways to get better every single day."

Embiid will be playing for Team USA for the first time in his career when he travels to Paris at the end of July. The Cameroon native is eligible to compete for Cameroon, France and the United States, where he gained citizenship in 2022, and he chose to play for Team USA, citing that he wants to win a gold medal for his son.

"I want to play for my fans because they've been incredible since the day I came here," Embiid said in his post committing to play for Team USA. "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."

Embiid joins a star-studded roster alongside veterans like LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard and Steph Curry and young stars like Anthony Edwards and Tyrese Haliburton, and together the group will go for another gold medal.