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LeBron James, Team USA Rally Behind Joel Embiid Earning Gold Medal

Joel Embiid earned a gold medal in Paris on Saturday.

Justin Grasso

Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; United States centre Joel Embiid (11) goes to the basket while defended by Serbia centre Filip Petrusev (3) during the first half in a men's basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; United States centre Joel Embiid (11) goes to the basket while defended by Serbia centre Filip Petrusev (3) during the first half in a men's basketball semifinal game during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Accor Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
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On Saturday, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid wrapped up his first Olympic run in Paris. For the most part, his experience with Team USA has been a roller coaster on a personal level, but he accomplished the main goal this weekend.

Winning a gold medal.

The Sixers center joined Team USA as they recruited him heavily so they could bring on an MVP-caliber center to join their starting lineup and combat the big man duo that France possesses. USA and France faced off for the gold medal on Saturday, and the squad full of NBA All-Stars took home the top prize.

As expected, the Paris crowd didn’t have a great reception to Embiid receiving his medal at the center of the court. But the negativity couldn’t affect Embiid’s mood.

Since his arrival in Paris, Embiid dealt with plenty of booing and heckling from the French. It was clear there were hard feelings still after Embiid passed up the opportunity to join France, picking USA over them.

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Every game—before and after—Embiid heard plenty of boos aimed at him. To no surprise, the Sixers big man took in stride and played along with it.

When Embiid earned his medal on Saturday, his Team USA teammates rallied behind Embiid’s trolling.

On Saturday, Embiid checked in for 11 minutes. He scored four points by going 4-4 from the free-throw line. He also accounted for three rebounds, two assists, and one steal. It wasn’t his most impactful game of the Olympics, but the 76ers big man still comes back to the City of Brotherly Love with a major accomplishment.

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Justin Grasso

JUSTIN GRASSO

Title: Credentialed writer/reporter covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation Email: JustinGrasso32@Gmail.com Location: Philadelphia, PA Expertise: Reporting, insight, and analysis on the Sixers and the NBA  Justin Grasso is a credentialed writer and publisher covering the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated’s FanNation.  Grasso got his start in sports media in 2016 with FantasyPros, working the news desk, providing game-by-game player analysis and updates on the Portland Trail Blazers and the Golden State Warriors. By 2017, he joined FanSided’s Philadelphia Eagles site as a staff writer. After spending one season covering the Eagles as a staff writer, Grasso was promoted to become the site’s Co-Editor. For the next two NFL seasons, he covered the Eagles closely before broadening his NFL coverage. For a brief stint, Grasso covered the NFL on a national basis after joining Heavy.com as an NFL news desk writer. In 2019, Grasso joined the 76ers' beat on a part-time basis, stepping into a role with South Jersey’s 97.3 ESPN. Ahead of the 2019-2020 NBA season, he concluded a three-year stint covering the Eagles and joined the Sixers beat full-time. Grasso has covered the 76ers exclusively since then for Sports Illustrated. He is a member of the Pro Basketball Writer’s Association.  Twitter: @JGrasso_ Instagram: @JGrassoNBA

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