In a viral video of Team USA's arrival at the Paris Olympic Games this week, Tyrese Haliburton is heard trolling his Olympic teammate, Joel Embiid. In reference to his French citizenship, Haliburton told the big man to give his passport back.
Tyrese Haliburton: “Give your passport back.”
Joel Embiid: “I’m American, man. American!”
The comment is a reference to the ongoing controversy surrounding Joel Embiid's Olympic commitment. Prior to joining Team USA, he pledged his services to France and even received his French passport after being named an honorary citizen of the country.
When Team USA arrived to take part in the games, fans were ready to call out Embiid and they shouted "Give back your passport" at first sight . For many of them, Joel choosing Team USA over France or Cameroon is nothing short of a betrayal to the very people who helped form his identity.
Now that the whole team is in on the scandal, they are doing whatever they can to jokingly troll and bully their veteran teammate every chance they can. Neither they nor Embiid are taking this matter too seriously but many fans continue to question if the 7x All-Star should be representing the USA.
Embiid was born in Cameroon and he still has family there to this day. Had they qualified for the Olympics, Embiid might have played for them even over Team USA. As for France, E mbiid claims that he only turned them down due to their "complicated" relationship with Cameroon . According to Joel, he didn't want to send the wrong message to his family back home by donning the French jersey in the Olympic games.
So, the decision for which team to rep did not come lightly for Joel but he ultimately chose to hitch his wagon to Team USA and nobody can fault him for that as a resident of the country for over a decade now.
Fortunately, it doesn't seem like the 76ers superstar is taking it to heart. Now that the whole team is in on the scandal, they are doing whatever they can to jokingly troll and bully their veteran teammate every chance they can and he's been taking it all with a smile on his face.
But no matter your own personal feelings on Embiid, he will be key for Team USA in this tournament He was solid in the exhibition games with averages of 10.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 0.2 blocks per game on 51.5% shooting. He will have to be even better going forward, as his play could make the difference for the USA against bigger teams like Serbia with Nikola Jokic and France with Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.
Only time will tell how Embiid and Team USA fare in the games to come but it's too late to go back now. The big fella has chosen his side and now he's committed to helping the USA re-capture its place at the top of the basketball world. The best that France can hope for now is that their own team is good enough to get revenge on Embiid and send home the US in a shocking upset.
Related: Joel Embiid Claims To Be The Most Hated Guy In The NBA
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