Joel Embiid was furiously booed and jeered during the US men’s basketball team’s comfortable win over Serbia on Sunday.
The Philadelphia 76ers star chose to play for the US instead of the host country back in October and the decision has caused consternation in France.
Fans attending the US men’s basketball team’s Olympic opener against Serbia on Sunday were forceful with how they feel about the NBA star, who is a native of Cameroon.
He was met with boos whenever he did anything on the court – be it during pregame introductions, coming off the bench, touching the ball.
The anger 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.
Joel Embiid was furiously booed during the US men’s basketball team’s win over Serbia in Paris
The Philadelphia 76ers star chose to play for the US instead of the host country in October
There was some hope by French fans that he’d team up 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 they were knocked out early during the qualification process. That left the US, where he also received a passport in 2022.
Embiid has previously said he wanted to play for Team USA because his son was born there. But he’s never specifically said why he chose the US over France.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant opened the Paris games and a US bid for a fifth consecutive gold medal with a near-perfect show on Sunday.
Durant made his first eight shots and scored 23 points, James added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the US rolled to a 110-84 win over Serbia.
‘That’s the best game we’ve played so far,’ James said after the Americans improved to 6-0 this summer, 1-0 in the tournament that matters.
James and Durant were a combined 18 for 22 from the field – eight of nine for Durant, nine of 13 for James – as the US had no trouble with the reigning World Cup silver medalists from last summer in the Philippines.
Jrue Holiday scored 15, Devin Booker had 12 and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry each added 11 for the US.
