PARIS, France — The United States always has high expectations for men’s basketball at the Olympics. These expectations further escalated when LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry committed to competing at the 2024 Paris Games. As if the team wasn’t already stacked enough, 2023 NBA MVP Joel Embiid committed to play for Team USA after narrowing his choice down after considering France and Cameroon.

After struggling while coming off injury during the Olympic preparation process, Embiid found a significant rhythm in his previous two performances, which proved instrumental in helping the United States succeed. He scored 19 points while shooting 8 of 11 overall and 2 of 3 from beyond the arc in 27 minutes against Serbia, led by Nikola Jokić. Since receiving zero minutes against South Sudan for matchup reasons, Embiid has averaged 16.0 points and 4.7 rebounds in 20.7 minutes per game, shooting 61.3% overall and 60.0% from three-point range.

After a 17-point comeback against Serbia in the semifinals to win 95-90, the United States will face France in the gold medal game in a few hours. Embiid will remain an essential element of Team USA, considering the team must match up against talents like Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert. Regardless, considering the history, Embiid’s presence on the floor will energize the French crowd at Bercy Arena.

Why does Joel Embiid get booed by French fans?

Joel Embiid obtained French citizenship in 2022, seemingly creating the nation’s expectation that he’d play for its national team. French basketball fans frequently booed the superstar center on and off the court during his time in the country.

French fans booed Embiid at the train station upon Team USA’s arrival in Lille before competing in the Group Phase. The jeers continued every time he reached the court, whether at Pierre Maurrey Stadium, Bercy Arena, or when he touched the basketball during gameplay. The loudest of these jeers have yet to come as the United States enters a showdown against France with the gold medal on the line.

When asked by reporters about the situation after the United States’ win over Serbia, Embiid continued to explain why French fans booed him, saying, “Frankly, I don’t understand why I’ve gotten a lot of criticism from the crowd,” he stated before adding that he’s going to dish it right back at the crowd if it continues. “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.” He even offered a response near the center court logo before walking off the court, making the WWE “crotch chop” gesture.

The media focus leading into the gold medal game between the United States and France will undoubtedly fixate heavily on Embiid. He’s conveyed being unbothered by that possibility, saying, “I think a lot of people wanted to [make it an issue] because of the storyline and all that stuff … but to me, it’s whatever it takes to win to gold. So that’s what I’m focused on. It’s all about Team USA against France.”

When reflecting on his options, Embiid sounded confident that he’d have chosen his native country of Cameroon had the basketball program qualified for the Olympics, which did not happen. “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,” Embiid said. “I said, from the beginning, and everybody knew that if Cameroon would’ve qualified, that would’ve never been a choice.”

Alternatively, the United States is the nation he’s lived in since he moved there at 16 at the start of his basketball career, further adding, “And then 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.” 

When the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics occur, Embiid will only be 34, making him a viable candidate to compete in probably one more Olympic cycle. However, will he play for Team USA when that time comes?

It’s unclear how serious his interest is in exercising this option; regardless, Joel Embiid hinted that he could play for Cameroon next time he wears a national team uniform at the Olympics in 2028.

Despite making such a comment, Embiid acknowledged he’s enjoyed his experience with Team USA, but it’s been a grind, saying, “It’s been a good experience. It’s been a grind, being away from home and family for a few weeks, but the group of guys we have made it easy.” Still, he may play for Cameroon instead. “Paris is a great city, and the next one is LA. It might not be with Team USA. It might be with Cameroon.”

It’s not as easy as Embiid simply wanting to play for Cameroon. The basketball federations for both the United States and Cameroon would need to agree to the decision, and FIBA would need to approve it. Considering the recruiting effort that went into bringing in Embiid in the first place, it remains to be seen if releasing him to play for Cameroon would be a decision the program would consider.

Eric Gordon, a member of the United States’ gold-medal-winning FIBA World Cup squad in 2010, is an example of a player who gained permission from Team USA to sever ties and join another national team. He’s competed with the Bahamas since then. However, Embiid is a player of a different caliber to grant such considerations.

Klay Thompson attempted to gain permission to join the Bahamas after previously competing for the United States. The process was not initiated quickly enough for a resolution to be reached before the 2024 Paris Olympics.

If Embiid pursues a similar path, it’ll be something to monitor. Other potential teammates with Cameroon could include two-time NBA All-Star Pascal Siakam of the Indiana Pacers and NBA players Christian Koloko and Yves Missi. In the meantime, the United States’ current run remains Embiid’s focus.