Joel Embiid has been showered with boos throughout the 2024 Paris Olympics by French fans and that was unsurprisingly the case during the medal ceremony as well. Embiid was booed as he received his gold medal following Team USA's 98-87 win over France in the final but embraced all that hate that was directed toward him.
I think it was quite hilarious how Embiid's teammates started egging the crowd to be louder as well. They have his back and I am sure the 30-year-old greatly appreciated that.
Embiid knew that the French fans were going to boo him in the final and stated he was going to go back at them and tell them to suck it. Well, the seven-time All-Star did his now-trademark 'suck it' celebration at the ceremony too, which only angered the fans even more. Embiid certainly got the last laugh over them. They can boo him all they want, but he's the one walking away with the gold, not the French.
Embiid finished the Olympics with averages of 11.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.2 steals, and 1.0 blocks per game. The 2023 NBA MVP wasn't quite at his best in Paris but did come up in that semifinal clash against Nikola Jokic and Serbia, recording 19 points on 8-11 shooting from the field.
That game might well be the greatest of what looks to be a relatively short career with Team USA for Embiid. Earlier this week, Embiid revealed he could leave Team USA for Cameroon at the 2028 Olympics. It will be interesting to see what kind of reaction he'd get in the U.S. if he does go that route in four years.
Kevin Durant Said Team USA Players Wanted French Fans To Boo Joel Embiid More
Embiid's teammate Kevin Durant stopped by for an interview with Overtime after the final and revealed that all of them wanted the crowd to boo the big man even more.
"We all wanted the crowd to boo more. That makes him better" Durant said. "Being in the locker room with him for a month, to understand him, get to know him as a person, as a basketball player, I'm grateful. That brotherhood gon be there for the rest of our lives."
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Embiid certainly does thrive off the hate, although he didn't play all that well in the Olympics as I mentioned earlier. He has to be getting used to the boos by now, though, as this is becoming somewhat of a theme. His style of play doesn't endear him to fans outside Philadelphia and that tag of being a flopper doesn't help either.
Embiid couldn't care less about any of it, though. He will do things his way and won't lose sleep over not being the most beloved basketball player in the world.
What Embiid probably does lose some sleep over, though, is the fact that he hasn't even come close to winning an NBA championship. He'd be hoping that changes in the 2024-25 season and the Philadelphia 76ers have certainly surrounded him with a boatload of talent.
The 76ers made the biggest move in free agency by landing Paul George and also acquired the likes of Eric Gordon and Andre Drummond. Embiid now has all the help he could have asked for and it's on him now to get the team across the finish line.
Related: Joel Embiid Celebrated Team USA's Win Over Serbia In Front Of French Fans Who Booed Him
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