After choosing to play for Team USA instead of France in the 2024 Paris Olympics, Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been getting a lot of heat.
France believed it had locked up Embiid's commitment when it made him a French citizen in 2022. While the former MVP had never lived in the country, he is fluent in French due to his Cameroon heritage, leading many to believe he would choose to play for Les Bleus at the 2024 Olympics.
Instead, Embiid chose to play for Team USA. That has led French fans to express direct anger at Embiid, loudly booing him when he was introduced when Team USA took on Serbia and wherever he's touched the ball while on the floor.
In March, French basketball president Jean-Pierre Siutat accused Embiid, criticized by fans and media members for his lack of postseason success, of picking Team USA to get an “easy” medal.
“Team USA, with him, who can beat you? Come on, nobody,” Siutat said. “This is an easy way for him to get an Olympic medal.”
Joel Embiid struggles in his Olympics debut
In a post to X (formerly Twitter), Embiid acknowledged that “it was not easy” to choose whom to play. He also said he was “really proud” to represent the United States in honor of his son. But, in his Olympics debut, where Team USA defeated Serbia 110-84, Embiid struggled against Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic.
In only 11 minutes, Embiid had four points on 2-5 shooting, two rebounds, and three careless fouls. Jokic, meanwhile, had 20 points, five rebounds, eight assists, and four steals in 30 minutes, dominating despite his team getting blown out. This has been a recurring issue for Embiid while playing for Team USA. After dealing with an injury last season, Embiid reported to Team USA training camp rusty and out of shape.
He performed well in exhibition wins over Germany and South Sudan. However, Embiid has only averaged 9.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 0.2 blocks, and 2.5 turnovers in 16 minutes per game. His stats will be lower since Team USA has overwhelming depth at every position. But those numbers are ghastly compared to what Embiid puts up every night in the NBA, who looks uncomfortable on the floor during Olympic action.
Worst of all, Team USA performed better whenever Embiid was on the bench against Serbia. The Sixers superstar's performance was poor, but hopefully, he can drown out the noise French fans are making.
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