When thousands of French people whistled and booed as if he stepped on the Tricolore, it felt like a warm hug for Joel Embiid. “A lot of people think,” said the US basketball superstar, “that it’s hate; I see it as love and respect.” Well, if so! In the exciting Olympic final against the proud Grande Nation, who saw themselves separated from him, Embiid can be sure that he will be showered with “love”.
But the 30-year-old can live up to the expected whistles if he wins USA Olympic gold for a fifth consecutive time alongside the great LeBron James. “If I wasn’t a good basketball player, I wouldn’t be like that. I consider myself blessed. I’ve seen worse,” said Embiid, who is not too afraid of the well-known rival around NBA super talent Victor Wembanyama: “I love France, but I’m not worried about them.”
Embiid wants to play for Cameroon
It seems like a twist of fate that the star center of the Philadelphia 76ers is playing for the gold medal against the hosts on Saturday (9.30 pm/ARD and Eurosport) at the Bercy Arena in Paris. Against the country that Embiid has dreamed of for so long – before he decided on the USA. Because of this he has been mocked non-stop since the group stage in Lille.
Embiid once told the French newspaper “L’Equipe” many years ago that he wanted to play for his native Cameroon. However, it was difficult at the time due to financial and organizational problems. The USA, the country where Embiid has lived since he was 16 and where his son was born, is of course always an option. But also in France. And for a long time this path seems to be hot.
Diaw: “Joel said he wants to play for France”
The French association said Embiid expressed his desire to play for the three-time Olympic silver medalist during the 2021/2022 NBA season. “Joel came to us and said he wants to play international basketball, that he wants to win, that he wants to play for France and that he wants to win,” general director Boris Diaw told The Athletic portal. Although Embiid does not actually live in France, the association requested a French passport, which he received in the summer of 2022.
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Just a few months later, however, Embiid also accepted US citizenship – paving the way for his decision in October 2023: In the 2022/2023 NBA season, in which an extraordinary Embiid finished as MVP, the association in the US approached him and wanted to convince him to participate in the Olympics in “Stars and Stripes”. Embiid, he said today, “just felt more comfortable than the other side.”
And they don’t like to hear that in France.