Sixers’ Joel Embiid Prepared for Hostile Crowd in Paris Olympic Final

Joel Embiid is ready to face France and its crowd on Saturday.

Aug 8, 2024; Paris, France; United States centre Joel Embiid (11) celebrates after the game against Serbia 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

Joel Embiid’s trip to France has probably gone just as he’s expected. The home crowd hasn’t been too welcoming.

The Philadelphia 76ers’ big man struck a nerve with France after he became a citizen last summer but took his talents to the USA national team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Before it was revealed that Embiid was going through the process of becoming a citizen in the United States, it was already well-known he was obtaining a French passport. Once Embiid became a citizen of the USA, he was recruited to the national team, giving him three options.

With Cameroon failing to qualify for the Olympics, Embiid picked between the USA and France. Once he chose the former, the latter turned on him.

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Throughout the 2024 Olympics, Embiid has battled with the crowd. The reception for the Sixers’ big man has resembled a primetime matchup in New York or Boston. Over the last two weeks, Embiid has responded in troll fashion, egging the crowd on and doing his signature DX chop tribute.

With Team USA set to play France in the final on Saturday, Embiid is prepared to take on the hostile crowd with the same mentality.

“They’re going to boo me,” Embiid stated, according to San Antonio Express-News’ Mike Finger. “I’m going to go back at them and tell them to suck it.”

Joel Embiid, on what he expects from the French crowd tomorrow:

“They’re going to boo me, I’m going to go back at them and tell them to suck it.”

— Mike Finger (@mikefinger) August 9, 2024

After the last couple of games, Embiid stuck around on the court for a bit to troll the crowd with his signature move. The 76ers’ big man felt good to find continued team success throughout the Olympics as Team USA has yet to suffer a loss.

Coming off of his best game of the tournament, where he scored 19 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, and came up big defensively, Embiid is hitting his stride at the right time. Team USA will surely need a big performance from the former NBA MVP on Saturday as they face two dynamic bigs in Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.

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