The 4-day training camp at Las Vegas took off to a flying start. The chosen superstars across the NBA linked up on Friday ahead of their trip to Paris. While legends like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant stole a lot of attention with their public mojo, Devin Booker and Joel Embiid grabbed eyeballs too at the Copa America QFs. Except for the fact that it didn’t end well for the duo, as they triggered fans’ rage after Brazil’s loss.

The Philadelphia 76ers‘ star center isn’t a newcomer when it comes to facing fan fury. Hours before Brazil’s unfortunate exit, the soccer community went after Embiid in all directions, attacking him for ‘disloyalty’. The Cameroonian native, who has dual citizenship with the US and France since 2022, decided to play for Team USA in the Paris Olympics. This fact didn’t impress the NBA world, as the fans had called him a “fraud” & “disgrace”, reacting to his arrival at the national camp in Las Vegas.

However, Joel’s under the scanner once again, this time with Devin Booker. Amid the intense training supervised by Steve Kerr, the duo managed to find time to attend the Uruguay-Brazil clash. Notably, Uruguay has already turned into a villain for the US fans, as they knocked out the hosts from the group stage, for the very first time. Yes, Marcela Bielsa and Co. have beaten Brazil for the first team since 2001 and they’ve done it back-to-back times for the first time since 1992!

Tonight wasn’t any different. Uruguayan took the legendary Brazil out of the tournament who took the field without Neymar (long-term injury) and Vinicius Jr (suspension). However, the Brazilian side didn’t go down easily. The game went down the wire into a penalty shoot-out, however, the Uruguay side held its nerve and won the game by 4-2. Now that the Neymar-less side is out of the tournament, fans swarmed the comments with hot takes.

Brazil fans throw flames at Joel Embiid for his “curse”

The Cameroonian baller got caught in the hands of religious soccer fans. And, he is paying the price for it. The photo of Embiid and Booker witnessing the game from the stands also included a Brazilian fan in the background, and it was enough for a fan to attack him. The fan’s comment written in Spanish, when translated, it read, “Incredible how Joel Embiid approaches a Brazilian and suddenly the team is unable to reach the semifinals. It’s Embiid’s curse.” 

It’s not just on the soccer field, Joel Embiid had to put up with these accusations on the hardwood as well.

The word “curse” often gets attached to him whenever he reaches the playoffs. Yes, the playoffs haven’t been kind to the star center. Despite winning a league MVP and 5x All-NBA honor, he hasn’t reached the Finals yet. It’s quite a jinx that the star has had a tough time breaking.

Another depressed fan, submerged in the game result, said “Closest Jo is getting to the Semi Finals (depressed Sixers fan).” However, a sincere fan tried to counter the “curse” comment, writing, “Believe me it’s not embiid, that selection is full of packages” This fan blamed the roster selection that led to the failure. Importantly, Brazil missed two of its biggest attackers but couldn’t find the back of the net despite Brazil being reduced to 10 men!

Building on that, another fan wrote, “Ronaldinho said it the worst squad ever in Brazil 😂😂😂😂😂.” Yes, indeed, when the squad was released, he vowed to boycott Brazil games on account of sending “one of the worst teams in recent years”. 

Nevertheless, moving the attention back to the NBA stars. It wasn’t just Joel Embiid, who faced the heat, it was Devin Booker too. A fan wrote, “They relaxing while Curry and Bron and some other dudes practicing on the court. That’s why they will never win a ring.” Even though a person can’t practice 24/7, this fan seemed to have taken it out of the way with his critical message. Anyway, these two stars have the chance to redeem themselves with a gold in the next few weeks with a super-stacked team.

Before you go, do not forget to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, to open up about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.