Joel Embiid was furiously booed and jeered during the US men’s basketball team’s comfortable victory over Serbia on Sunday.
The Philadelphia 76ers star chose to play for the United States instead of the host country in October and the decision has caused consternation in France.
Fans attending the U.S. men’s basketball team’s Olympic opening game against Serbia on Sunday were blunt about their feelings for the NBA star, who hails from Cameroon.
He was greeted with boos every time he did anything on the court, whether during pre-game introductions, coming off the bench or touching the ball.
The anger likely centers on his decision not to play for France, which granted him naturalized citizen status in 2022 even though he has never lived there.
Joel Embiid was furiously booed during the US men’s basketball team’s victory over Serbia in Paris
The Philadelphia 76ers star chose to play for the United States instead of the host country in October.
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French fans had some hope that he would team up with other NBA stars such as Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert to play for the host country at the Paris Games.
He also had the option to play for Cameroon, but the team was eliminated in the early qualifying stages, so he could only play in the United States, where he also received a passport in 2022.
Embiid had previously said he wanted to play for Team USA because his son was born there, but he never specifically said why he chose the United States over France.
LeBron James and Kevin Durant opened the Paris Games and the United States’ bid for a fifth straight gold medal with near-perfect performances on Sunday.
Durant made his first eight shots and scored 23 points, James added 21 points, nine assists and seven rebounds and the United States beat Serbia 110-84.
“This is 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 combined for 18 of 22 shooting from the field (8 of 9 for Durant, 9 of 13 for James) as the U.S. had no trouble with the reigning silver medalists from last summer’s World Cup in the Philippines.
Jrue Holiday scored 15, Devin Booker had 12 and Anthony Edwards and Stephen Curry added 11 each for the United States.
