Joel Embiid waved his arms Wednesday inciting boos from French fans inside Pierre Mauroy Stadium, showing he wasn’t bothered.
His response to the less-than-friendly welcome was “nothing,” he said. Athletic.
“Like I said, I’m American and I play for the U.S. team,” he said.
The 30-year-old, born in Cameroon, raised in Florida and holding U.S. and French passports, has been demonized by locals during the Olympics because he rejected France to play for the United States.
Through all of this, Embiid has received a lot of support from his teammates.
U.S. team star Anthony Edwards expressed confusion to reporters on Thursday about the constant booing of Embiid by French fans during the Paris Olympics.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” the Timberwolves star said. According to Basket News“I don’t know why. [Embiid] I get booed all the time.”
While Edwards may have been initially hesitant, French crowds have undoubtedly expressed their distaste for the former MVP, who had floated the idea of playing for France in this year’s Olympics and even gained French citizenship in time for the Summer Games.
Edwards, aware of Embiid’s history here, said the team needs more help in the backcourt than the frontcourt.
Embiid is part of an American frontcourt that includes Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo, both of whom are under 7 feet tall.
“But Wenby [Victor Wembanyama] Rudy [Gobert]”Why would he play with you? Wenby and Rudy, what more do you want? Do you want three seven-foot players?” Edwards said of the France team.
2024 Paris Olympics
After ultimately choosing the United States, many in the French camp, including French Basketball Federation president Jean-Pierre Ciutat, felt slighted.
“We met with Joel. [French basketball figure and ex-NBA player] “I plan to meet with Boris Diaw in March 2022,” Ciutat said. From BasketNews“But we did not ask for that meeting. He expressed an interest in playing for France and we helped him obtain French citizenship at his request.”
“But we didn’t ask him for anything. We’re just sorry that we spent so much time and effort on a file that should never have been opened.”
The 76ers star has struggled in Paris so far, scoring just four points in the opening game against Serbia and not even making the bench in the second win over South Sudan.
Already qualified for the quarterfinals, Embiid and the rest of the Americans will face Puerto Rico in their final group stage game on Saturday, August 3, at 11:15 a.m. ET.
