For years leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Joel Embiid publicly discussed the possibility of playing for France in international competition. When he first talked to French officials about potentially getting citizenship during the 2021-22 season, they hoped he'd play for Les Bleus at the 2022 EuroBasket and the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Instead, after acquiring both French and American passports in 2022, Embiid made his FIBA debut as a member of Team USA this summer.
Unsurprisingly, the fans in France aren't particularly fond of him. In Lille, where Team USA beat Serbia on Sunday, the crowd booed Embiid during pregame introductions and every time he touched the ball.
Embiid's reaction?
"Nothing," the big man said before practice on Tuesday, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon. "Like I said, I'm an American, I play for Team USA."
Embiid and members of the French Basketball Federation have different perspectives on how close he actually came to committing to France. Regardless, last October, when he chose to join Team USA, citing the fact that his son was born in the United States, he surely knew what he'd be in for at these Olympics. Even if he doesn't feel that he reneged on an agreement, it was obvious that French fans would not take kindly to him playing for a different team after this strange, drawn-out saga.
Despite the not-so-warm welcome, Embiid said Tuesday that he is having a good time with the United States' stacked team. "I'm loving it," he said, via The Athletic, adding that this stage is "a great setting for me because I am playing with a lot of great players."
Expect more boos when Team USA plays South Sudan on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET.
