Anthony Edwards blasts French fans for booing Joel Embiid at Paris Olympics

Joel Embiid waved his arms, egging on the boos from the French fans inside Pierre Mauroy Stadium to show it doesn’t bother him Wednesday.

His reaction to the not-so-friendly welcome was “nothing,” he said, according to The Athletic .

“Like I said I’m an American, I play for Team USA,” he said.

The 30-year-old, who was born in Cameroon, grew up in Florida and holds U.S. and French passports. He’s being villainized during the Games by the locals for spurning France to play for America.

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Through it all, Embiid is finding plenty of support from his teammates.

Team USA star Anthony Edwards expressed confusion to reporters Thursday around French fans constantly booing Embiid throughout the Paris Olympics.

“I don’t know what is going on,” the Timberwolves star said, according to BasketNews . “I don’t know why [Embiid] gets booed all the time.”

While Edwards may have had initial confusion, the French spectators are surely expressing their distaste for the former MVP after he flirted with the idea of playing for France during the Olympics this year, going as far to obtain French citizenship leading up to the Summer Games.

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Upon learning Embiid’s history with the country, Edwards said the team needs more help in their backcourt than front court.

Embiid is part of a U.S. front court that includes sub-seven-footers in Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo.

“But you got Wemby [Victor Wembanyama] and Rudy [Gobert],” Edwards said about the French team. “Why would he play with y’all? Wemby and Rudy, what more do y’all want? You want three seven-footers?”

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After ultimately choosing the U.S., many in the French camp felt slighted — including French basketball federation president Jean-Pierre Siutat.

“We met Joel together with [French basketball figure and ex-NBA player] Boris Diaw in March of 2022,” said Siutat, per BasketNews . “But we didn’t ask for that meeting . He had shown interest in playing for France, and we helped him get French citizenship upon his request.

“But we were never demanding of him. I’m just sorry that we have spent so much time and energy on a file that should never have been opened.”

The 76ers’ star has struggled in Paris thus far, scoring just four points in the Americans’ opening game against Serbia and not getting off bench during their second victory over South Sudan.

Embiid and his fellow Americans, already having clinched a spot in the quarterfinals, take on Puerto Rico on Saturday, Aug. 3 at 11:15 a.m. ET in their final group-stage tilt.

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