Joel Embiid waved his arms, egging on the boos from the French followers inside Pierre Mauroy Stadium to point out it doesn’t trouble him Wednesday.
His response to the not-so-friendly welcome was “nothing,” he stated, in response to The Athletic.
“Like I stated I’m an American, I play for Crew USA,” he stated.
The 30-year-old, who was born in Cameroon, grew up in Florida and holds U.S. and French passports. He’s being villainized in the course of the Video games by the locals for spurning France to play for America.
By all of it, Embiid is discovering loads of help from his teammates.
Crew USA star Anthony Edwards expressed confusion to reporters Thursday round French followers continuously booing Embiid all through the Paris Olympics.
“I don’t know what’s going on,” the Timberwolves star stated, in response to BasketNews. “I don’t know why [Embiid] will get booed on a regular basis.”
Whereas Edwards might have had preliminary confusion, the French spectators are certainly expressing their distaste for the previous MVP after he flirted with the thought of enjoying for France in the course of the Olympics this yr, going as far to acquire French citizenship main as much as the Summer season Video games.
Upon studying Embiid’s historical past with the nation, Edwards stated the workforce wants extra assist in their backcourt than entrance court docket.
Embiid is a part of a U.S. entrance court docket that features sub-seven-footers in Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo.
“However you bought Wemby [Victor Wembanyama] and Rudy [Gobert],” Edwards stated concerning the French workforce. “Why would he play with y’all? Wemby and Rudy, what extra do y’all need? You need three seven-footers?”
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
After in the end selecting the U.S., many within the French camp felt slighted — together with French basketball federation president Jean-Pierre Siutat.
“We met Joel along with [French basketball figure and ex-NBA player] Boris Diaw in March of 2022,” stated Siutat, per BasketNews. “However we didn’t ask for that assembly . He had proven curiosity in enjoying for France, and we helped him get French citizenship upon his request.
“However we had been by no means demanding of him. I’m simply sorry that we’ve got spent a lot time and vitality on a file that ought to by no means have been opened.”
The 76ers’ star has struggled in Paris to date, scoring simply 4 factors within the People’ opening recreation in opposition to Serbia and never getting off bench throughout their second victory over South Sudan.
Embiid and his fellow People, already having clinched a spot within the quarterfinals, tackle Puerto Rico on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 11:15 a.m. ET of their closing group-stage tilt.
