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Joel Embiid had a few options to pick from when it came to choosing the country he was going to represent at the 2024 Olympics. His decision to pledge allegiance to Team USA didn’t sit well with basketball fans in France, but he seems pretty unbothered based on what he had to say about the backlash.
Most basketball fans likely know Joel Embiid was born in Cameroon (his father was the captain of the country’s national handball team) before moving to the United States as a teenager to kickstart the journey that led to him becoming one of the most formidable big men in the NBA.
In 2022, Embiid officially earned his American citizenship shortly after he also secured a French passport thanks in no small parts to his discussion with officials in the country about potentially representing Les Blues on the international stage.
However, he ultimately decided to commit to Team USA while citing his desire to play alongside his spiritual brothers in the NBA and honor his son (who was born in the United States in 2020).
That decision did not sit well with people in France who were hoping their squad was going to boast a pretty imposing Big 3 comprised of Embiid, Rudy Gobert, and Victor Wembanyama, and the 76ers superstar received a very rude welcome after arriving in Paris for the Olympics.
Embiid couldn’t help but laugh when one fan implored him to forfeit his French passport last week, and members of the French faithful showered him with boos when Team USA kicked off its group stage play with a win over Serbia on Sunday.
According to ESPN, Embiid (who only scored four points while playing a little more than 11 minutes against Nikola Jokic and Co.) is brushing off the hostile treatment he’s received, saying, “It’s nothing. Like I’ve said, I’m an American. I play for Team USA.”
The Americans are the overwhelming favorite to win it all, and he’ll certainly get the last laugh if he ends up with a gold medal draped around his neck on the podium when everything is said and done.