By Aris Barkas / barkas@eurohoops.net
PARIS, France – Heading to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024 after choosing to play for USA Basketball, picking over his home country of Cameroon or France, Joel Embiid has been one of the players receiving the most criticism from the crowd since the start of the tournament in Lille.
Once again during the Quarter-Finals clash against Brazil – where he put up 14 points and 7 rebounds in only 12 minutes of playing time – he was heavily booed by the crowd at the Accor Arena in Paris Bercy, and he replied with a self-explanatory gesture to the crowd.
“It’s good to have fun too, because at the end of the day, we gotta take something out of each experience and that’s why I’m here. And if the fans don’t wanna go on me, I’ll tell them to hang out, say the word”, he ironically said in the post-game mixed zone interviews.
Since joining USA Basketball for such a special appointment in the French capital, Joel Embiid has been averaging 11.0 points and 4.0 rebounds over three games at the Olympic Games. He didn’t play in the Group C encounter against South Sudan.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA Basketball