(Reuters) – Team USA’s Joel Embiid, who holds French and American citizenship, said his bruising NBA playoff battles on the road have prepared him for any jeers the French crowd at the Paris Olympics sends his way.
Embiid received his French passport in 2022 and many there thought he would wear the jersey of Les Bleus or his native Cameroon in his first Olympics. Instead, he joined the U.S. team seeking its fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
“I don’t think it should be anything, but if it’s more than that, I embrace it,” Embiid told the Athletic at Team USA training camp in Las Vegas.
“I don’t think you can get worse than playing in New York in the playoffs.”
The Philadelphia 76ers star was labeled the “most hated man in New York” by New York tabloids and booed mercilessly at Madison Square Garden during the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs, which the Knicks won in six games.
The 30-year-old big man previously said it was not easy deciding which country to play for but ultimately chose the U.S. over France because of the length of time he had lived in the country and the fact that his son was born in the United States.
The U.S. fell to France in the group stage of the Tokyo Games in a loss that snapped a 25-game winning streak but eked out a win in the final to claim their 17th gold medal.
France, led by Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama, is again expected to present a challenge for the U.S. on the international stage and in response the U.S. has assembled a roster boasting a dizzying array of talent.
The 12-man team includes Embiid, who won the NBA’s MVP award in 2023, the NBA’s all-time leading scorer LeBron James, three-time Olympic champion Kevin Durant and three-point shooting great Stephen Curry, who are all expected to start.
The U.S. takes on reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and Serbia in their first group stage match on July 28 in Lille, France.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; editing by Diane Craft)
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