VILLENEUVE-D’ASCQ, France (AP) — Memo to the French fans: Joel Embiid plays in Philadelphia. The fans in Philly are, in a word, passionate. And those years of being on stage for the 76ers’ faithful has prepared him for these Paris Olympics.
In a very odd way, that is.
“Playing in Philly,” Embiid said, “they boo their own guys.”
That’s why hearing the boos in France — he’s gotten them throughout the Paris Games after choosing to play for the U.S. instead of the host nation — isn’t fazing him. He gave the fans in Villeneuve-D’Ascq, France one more chance to let him hear it Saturday, when he stood at midcourt in the final seconds and waved his arms, asking for more volume in the arena where the U.S. was playing for the third and final time in this Olympic tournament before things shift to Paris for the knockout round.
They obliged. He smiled. His teammates laughed.
“That’s all you can do is laugh about it,” U.S. coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s done a good job just making light of it. And his teammates obviously have his back. It’s all part of it. I’m sure he knew this was coming. And what I like is that after the French fans would boo, you could hear the American fans cheer. So, everybody seems to be having some fun with it.”
Embiid has been booed in Philly often, and at least once during pregame introductions of the 76ers’ starters. And he expected this treatment after making his decision last year to play for the U.S. instead of France. He had plenty of reasons for that choice, among them that his son was born in the U.S., and he has familiarity with the American roster because of his years in the NBA.
“It’s all about comfort level,” Embiid said. “I’ve known these guys for a long time. I just felt more comfortable.”
He’s been doing the wave-his-arms, cup-a-hand-over-his-ear moves to ask for louder booing since the Paris Games started. His teammates started doing the same not long afterward, showing their support.
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“It’s OK. He’s with us. Be mad. We don’t care,” U.S. guard Anthony Edwards said. “He chose us over y’all, so it’s all good.”
What matters most is this: Embiid is enjoying the whole spectacle.
He played his best game of the Olympics on Saturday in a 104-83 win over Puerto Rico that clinched the No. 1 seed going into the quarterfinals; Embiid scored 15 points in just under 23 minutes.
And the booing, well, France isn’t quite at the level of what he gets when the 76ers play in New York and Boston, Embiid said.
“A lot of people think it’s hate,” Embiid said. “I see it as love and respect. If I wasn’t an OK basketball player, I would not receive that type of treatment. So, I see myself as being blessed and that’s why I interact with that type of crowd and that type of stuff. I’m blessed to be here, and I’ve seen worse. I’ve played in worse environments. It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”
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