He was the final one coming off the court docket Thursday, and Joel Embiid made positive these inside Bercy Area had been conscious he was nonetheless there.
After the US pulled off its dramatic, comeback win over Serbia within the 2024 Paris Olympics males’s basketball semifinals, organising an Olympic closing towards France Saturday, Embiid celebrated by embracing the controversy his presence on the American roster created for these Video games.
The Philadelphia 76ers star approached heart court docket dancing to the beat of the music taking part in over the constructing’s loudspeakers. Upon seeing teammate Anthony Edwards, Embiid then made a gesture meant to taunt the group. The boos which have adopted Embiid all through the Olympic match intensified. He’s getting ready for them to achieve a crescendo when Crew USA performs France in entrance of its house followers with a gold medal on the road in males’s basketball.
As a result of Embiid could possibly be – and within the minds of many French folks, needs to be – taking part in for France.
Here is what you need to know concerning the feud between Embiid and France and why the previous NBA MVP grew to become the heel French crowds like to boo on the Paris Video games:
2024 Olympic medals: Who’s main the medal rely? Comply with alongside as we monitor the medals for each sport.
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS:Comply with all of USA TODAY’S protection from the Paris Video games right here
The place is Joel Embiid from?
Embiid was born in Yaounde, Cameroon on March 16, 1994. He didn’t begin taking part in basketball till he was 15 years previous. He moved to the US a 12 months later after NBA participant and fellow Cameroon native Luc Mbah A Moute seen him at a basketball camp in Africa.
Embiid has performed within the states ever since then, rising as a five-star recruit at The Rock Faculty in Gainesville, Florida, per his 247Sports Composite profile. He then performed one season at Kansas. Embiid was chosen by the 76ers with the No. 3 general decide within the 2014 NBA draft and has performed in Philadelphia throughout his whole skilled profession.
Is Joel Embiid a U.S. citizen?
Sure, however not earlier than changing into a citizen in two different international locations.
Embiid additionally had the chance to play for France or Cameroon within the Olympics. He gained citizenship to France in Might 2022 by a clause there that permits naturalization to a foreigner whose naturalization is “of outstanding curiosity.” Embiid then revealed in September 2022 that he had additionally change into a United States citizen, and cited his son because the motivation.
Why Joel Embiied is being booed at 2024 Paris Olympics
Embiid’s determination to play for the US on the Paris Olympics was a sore topic in France lengthy earlier than the Video games started.
When Embiid was granted French citizenship, hypothesis instantly adopted he was planning to characterize France two years later when it hosted the Olympics. There was the potential to workforce with Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Embiid has mentioned there was by no means an settlement that he would play for France in trade for gaining citizenship, however did reveal just lately that French president Emmanuel Macron tried to recruit him.
Former NBA participant Boris Diaw, who presently serves as the final supervisor of the French nationwide workforce in males’s basketball, insisted to The Athletic that Embiid approached a number of occasions through the 2021-22 NBA season about his curiosity in taking part in for France. When France beat the US 83-76 through the 2020 Olympics, snapping Crew USA’s 25-game successful streak in Olympic competitors, Embiid even tweeted, “Allez les Bleus” in celebration.
“Joel got here to us and mentioned that he needed to play worldwide basketball, he mentioned he needed to win, and he mentioned he needed to play for France and he needed to win with France,” Diaw instructed The Athletic. “So we listened to him.”
This led French officers to bypass the everyday routes to realize citizenship. Embiid didn’t have direct French heritage, nor had he lived in France for not less than two years. However he and his son had been granted a French passport due to what France may accomplish on the Olympics with him.
A 12 months later, when Embiid introduced he had dedicated to play for Crew USA in Paris, he mentioned his household’s connection to the US was the figuring out issue.
“It was not straightforward,” Embiid wrote in a put up on X (previously Twitter) explaining his determination in October 2023. “I’m blessed to name Cameroon, France, and the USA house. “After speaking to my household, I knew it needed to be Crew USA. I wish to play with my brothers within the league. I wish to play for my followers as a result of they’ve been unbelievable for the reason that day I got here right here. However most of all, I wish to honor my son who was born within the US. I would like my boy to know I performed my first Olympics for him.”
Embiid’s option to play for the US was not met kindly by the French.
“Crew USA, with him, who can beat you? Come on, no person,” French Basketball Federation president Jean-Pierre Siutat instructed The Athletic. “That is a straightforward manner for him to get an Olympic medal.”
Frederic Weis — the previous French nationwide participant who infamously bought dunked on by Vince Carter through the 2000 Olympics — took it much more personally.
“I hate him for the issues that he did. I feel he would not have any respect for France and likewise for all of the people who find themselves asking for a French passport and do not get it. And below the pretext that he’s an important athlete, he bought it,” Weis mentioned in April, by way of Eurohoops.internet. “I discover it scandalous, I discover it embarrassing. I do not care about his excuses, as a result of they’re his phrases, and his phrases imply nothing.
“I might take away from him the French nationality and I might ban him from getting into France,” Weis added. “You’ll not play within the Olympics. You’ll come to the airport with Crew USA and we are going to say, ‘You do not have the best to enter the territory, go to your property. You’re Cameroonian, you’re American, you aren’t French, go away.'”
Because the Olympics started, Embiid has been booed constantly by the followers — when he is in pregame warmups, when he is launched and when he is touched the ball throughout video games — in each Lille, France for the group stage, in addition to in Paris throughout Crew USA’s wins over Brazil and Serbia to achieve Saturday’s gold medal sport towards France.
WOLKEN:Winter is coming for US males’s basketball. Serbia sport exhibits it is virtually right here.
What Joel Embiid mentioned on the Paris Olympics
Embiid’s response to the controversy has assorted.
Throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony, Crew USA teammate Tyrese Haliburton jokingly introduced up the controversy in a video posted on his Instagram account.
“Give your passport again,” Haliburton mentioned.
“I am American, man,” Embiid responded, waving a miniature American flag from the boat carrying the US delegation of athletes alongside the Seine River through the parade of countries.
Embiid mentioned final week when the subject got here up once more that he picked the US as a result of he felt extra snug with the People and, “these guys needed me.”
“Lots of people see (the boos) as hate, I see it as love and respect,” he instructed reporters in Paris final week. “If I wasn’t an OK basketball participant, I might not obtain that kind of therapy. So I see myself as being blessed and that’s how I work together with that kind of crowd and that kind of stuff. I’m blessed to be right here. I’ve seen worse. I’ve performed in worse environments.”
“Enjoying in Philly, they boo their very own guys greater than opponents,” Embiid added. “Generally it seems like our followers are extra towards us once they’re purported to be towards the opponent. However like I mentioned, it’s all love. It’s all as a result of they wish to push you, need you to do higher. Similar to with this crowd, it makes me wish to be higher and do extra and do no matter it takes to win.”
Embiid advised Friday that he would have performed for Cameroon if his native nation had certified for these Olympics, and that he would think about doing so sooner or later. However since Embiid has performed for the US in a world competitors, he would wish a waiver from FIBA and USA Basketball to play for one more nation on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
For now, he is able to play the position of villain as soon as extra in entrance of what is anticipated to be one other raucous French crowd.
“I do know myself. I’m going to work together myself and I’m going to get pleasure from it,” Embiid mentioned Friday. “They’re going to boo me. I’m going to return at them … and so it’s going to be enjoyable.”
What Crew USA is saying about Joel Embiid boos
“That’s all you are able to do is snicker about it,” Crew USA coach Steve Kerr instructed reporters in Paris, in keeping with the Related Press. “He’s performed a superb job simply making mild of it. And his teammates clearly have his again. It’s all a part of it. I’m positive he knew this was coming. And what I like is that after the French followers would boo, you can hear the American followers cheer. So, everyone appears to be having some enjoyable with it.”
“It’s OK. He’s with us. Be mad. We don’t care,” U.S. guard Anthony Edwards mentioned. “He selected us over y’all, so it’s all good.”
Joel Embiid Olympic stats
Embiid lastly got here by for Crew USA with 19 essential factors towards Serbia within the semifinals after an in any other case underwhelming efficiency. Charles Barkley accused him of being out of practice throughout an look on Paul George’s podcast. He’s averaging 13 factors and 4 rebounds over 5 video games in Paris.
Tips on how to watch USA vs. France in Paris Olympics gold medal sport
- Date: Aug. 10, 2024
- Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
- Location: Accor Area, Paris
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Peacock, nbcolympics.com, fuboTV
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