VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France — Joel Embiid chose to play for the U.S. over France at the Paris Olympics — and the French didn’t let him forget it.
French fans attending the U.S. men’s basketball team’s Olympic opener against Serbia on Sunday were forceful with how they feel about the Philadelphia 76ers star and Cameroon native.
He was met with boos whenever he did anything on the court — be it during pregame introductions, coming off the bench, touching the ball — anything.
Why?
It likely centers on his decision not to play for France, which granted him naturalized citizenship status in 2022 even though he’s never lived there.
There was some hope by French fans that Embiid would team with fellow NBA stars Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert to play for the host country in the Paris Games.
He also had the option of playing for Cameroon, but it was knocked out early during the qualification process. That left the U.S., where he also received a U.S. passport in 2022.
Embiid has previously said he wanted to play for Team USA because his son was born in the United States. But he has never specifically said why he chose the U.S. over France.