Joel Embiid Facing Backlash For Performance In USA vs. Serbia

NBA fans shared their frustration with Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid during the opening men's basketball game for Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

He had a rough start. He missed a jumper and two free throws and recorded a turnover in the first 2 minutes and 42 seconds as Team USA fell into an 8-2 hole.

The team fared much better when Anthony Davis subbed in, going on a 23-12 extended run to take a 25-20 lead into the second quarter.

After Embiid's slow start, several fans blasted him and head coach Steve Kerr online.

"Joel Embiid and Steve Kerr are a legitimate threat to national security at this point," wrote one commenter.

"Joel Embiid shouldn’t have been a starter to begin with," and "Get Embiid out, man," added two others.

"Joel Embiid’s run as a Team USA starter," wrote Barstool's social media page with a graphic of Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who suffered a season-ending Achilles injury minutes into New York's opening game last season.

"What has Joel Embiid done to earn mins on Team USA over Anthony Davis? He shouldn’t be starting and getting big minutes," wrote another.

Team USA is in Group C along with South Sudan, Puerto Rico and Serbia.'

Team USA plays South Sudan on Wednesday, followed by a game against Puerto Rico on Saturday.