Joel Embiid Receives Special Honor in Cameroon After Winning Olympic Gold for Team USA

Kristen Wong | Aug 15, 2024

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid will be taking home not one, but two medals this summer.

One is the Olympic gold medal he won with Team USA in the Paris Games. The other is the Medal of Commander of the Order of Valor he was bestowed by his home country, Cameroon, as first reported by TMZ Sports.

On Wednesday, the 76ers center was seen receiving the special award from Cameroon president Paul Biya. The “Order of Valor” medal is an honor given to Cameroon natives who have made “exceptional contributions in the fields of arts, science, agriculture, commerce, or industry.”

Joel Embiid has received his Order of Valor from the president of Cameroon 🇨🇲 pic.twitter.com/Z3xOz0pHIB

— MVBIID (@EmbiidsEra) August 14, 2024

Embiid’s best performance of the Olympics came in Team USA’s 95-91 semifinal win over Serbia, when he went 8-for-11 for 19 points and added four rebounds to help his team complete a legendary comeback in the fourth quarter.

Embiid, who was born in Yaounde, Cameroon, moved to the United States when he was 16 years old. Over the years, he has made philanthropic efforts to give back to his home country such as creating the Arthur Embiid & Angels Foundation, named after his late brother, which aims to improve the lives of at-risk youth in Cameroon. 

Following his first-ever Olympic gold medal win, the All-Star center teased the possibility of representing Cameroon instead of Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“It's been a good experience,” Embiid said. “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 [Los Angeles]. It might not be with Team USA, it might be with Cameroon.”