Joel Embiid embraced the role of the villain as he soaked in the boos from the French crowd during the medal ceremony at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Despite holding French citizenship, the Philadelphia 76ers center chose to play for Team USA instead of representing the Olympic host nation, a decision that did not sit well with the local fans.
Embiid stood proudly on the podium alongside his Team USA teammates following their 98-87 victory over France to secure the gold medal. Although his contribution in the final was limited to 11 minutes of play, Embiid scored four points, grabbed three rebounds, and dished out two assists during the game.
The post-game ceremony began with Serbia receiving their bronze medals, followed by France, led by No. 1 NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama , accepting their silver medals. When it was time for Team USA to receive their gold medals, the atmosphere in the arena shifted.
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Cameras captured the cheers and applause for American stars like LeBron James , Kevin Durant , and Steph Curr y. But when Embiid's name was called, the crowd erupted in boos.
Instead of shying away, Embiid embraced the moment, throwing his hands in the air and shouting, "Yeah!" as his teammates rallied around him. The entire Team USA roster then joined Embiid in chanting "USA" at the booing crowd. Embiid even delivered a WWE -style D-Generation X crotch chop, further fueling the beef.
The scenes became a talking point online, with NBA fans, especially those in Philadelphia, praising Embiid for his defiant attitude. One fan wrote, "Couldn't have scripted this ending better. It was like a movie for his teammates to join in." Another commented, "First team award ever for our Sixers Center. Hope it makes him hungry for an NBA Title."
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A third fan added, "Love seeing all of Team USA join him in messing with the crowd." Embiid, who has lived in the United States since he was 16, was granted U.S. citizenship in 2023. Born in Yaounde, Cameroon, he also holds French citizenship, which he received through a clause allowing naturalization for foreigners with "exceptional interest" in France.
The Embiid international sweepstakes allowed him to choose to represent Cameroon, the United States, or France in international competitions. Although reports surfaced that Embiid had verbally committed to play for France in the Olympics , he ultimately chose to represent Team USA.
Following the semifinals, where Team USA defeated Serbia, Embiid addressed the criticism he had received from French fans. "Frankly, I don’t understand why I’ve gotten a lot of criticism from the crowd. They’re going to boo me. I’m going to go back at them and tell them to ‘suck it.’ And so it’s going to be fun," Embiid predicted.
Reflecting on his decision to play for Team USA, Embiid explained, "Having lived half of my life in the U.S. and the other half in my country, Cameroon, it just looked like it was, you could go two ways. I said, from the beginning, and everybody knew that if Cameroon would’ve qualified, that would’ve never been a choice."
"Having the family [in America] and having built a lot of things and having accomplished a lot of things in the U.S. and then knowing the group of guys deeply, it just made it easy."
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