It has been quite a week of medals for Joel Embiid. On Saturday, the big man received an Olympic gold medal as Team USA edged France in the Men’s Basketball final. Days later, Embiid received the Medal of Commander of the Order of Valor from his home country of Cameroon, as first reported by TMZ:
Joel Embiid Receives 'Order of Valor' Medal From President of Cameroon | Click to read more 👇 https://t.co/MfIZfhF5XX
— TMZ Sports (@TMZ_Sports) August 14, 2024
Per TMZ’s story, the Order of Valor is “an honor given to Cameroon natives who have made ‘exceptional contributions in the fields of arts, science, agriculture, commerce, or industry.’” Embiid received the medal from Cameroon president Paul Biya; you can see a couple more for those photos below:
Today, Joel Embiid was officially given the Medal of Commander of the Order of Valor, which is awarded by the President of Cameroon to EXCEPTIONAL individuals. @JoelEmbiid 🇺🇸🇨🇲 #AfroBallers pic.twitter.com/SYv8GnfxtM
— AfroBallers (@afroballers) August 14, 2024
As most of you know, Joel was born in Yaounde, Cameroon and spent most of his childhood there, moving to the United States at 16 years old in order to first attend Montverde Academy in Florida. In addition to bringing recognition to his home country by virtue of his prodigious efforts on the basketball court, Embiid has given a lot back philanthropically to Cameroon over the years.
In the wake of his brother Arthur’s tragic death, Joel and his family started the Arthur Embiid & Angels Foundation. Per their website, the Foundation’s mission is to “support children who have become victims of social fractures in the country through the use of education, health and sports in order to create a productive and positive growing environment.” Embiid also partnered with UNICEF and donated $25,000 back in 2017 for a holiday charity drive for Cameroon youth.
Congratulations to Joel on this latest honor.
