From the New York Times, this is the interview. I'm David Marquesie.

When the Olympics kick off in Paris next week, the Americans will be the overwhelming favorite for the men's basketball

gold, like always. And this year, central to that team is Philadelphia 76er's star

Joelle Embeed. Embeed is one of basketball's best players,

but he also seems weirdly cursed.

I think of him almost as a kind of NBA sissophis,

because for all his individual success,

and that includes an MVP award and back-to-back scoring titles,

he's never won a championship. The Sixers have repeatedly fallen short in the playoffs,

at times in almost comically heartbreaking fashion.

I'm talking literally due to a couple unlucky bounces here and there.

And then there's the turnover.

The team has seen coaches, star players, and general managers come and then go.

And Embead himself keeps getting hurt.

That combination of iffy management and bad luck

have cast the shadow of unfulfilled potential

over Embed's decade-long career.

So in some ways the Olympics are a chance for a bit of redemption.

But the path to Paris hasn't been smooth either, starting with the question of which country

to play for.

Embeed is a citizen of the US, France, and Cameroon.

And as he told me, for him, the decision of which Jersey to put on

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