From the moment Joel Embiid decided to represent Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games instead of France, he faced boos whenever he touched the ball or stepped onto the court during the group stage games. Remarkably, he was even booed against South Sudan, a match in which he didn’t play a single minute.
After Team USA’s victory in the final group stage game against Puerto Rico, Embiid opened up about his decision to choose Team USA over France: “It was a tough decision, but it’s all about comfort level. I’ve known these guys (Team USA players) for a long time, and I just felt more comfortable with them than with the other side (France).”
He elaborated: “There was some concern with the other side. Comfort level was huge. I always say I’m going to be where I’m wanted, and these guys wanted me.”
Embiid also highlighted, in an interview with The New York Times prior to the 2024 Olympic Games, that the pressure from France to make a quick decision was a significant factor: “I wanted to take as much time as possible, and it didn’t help that France put an ultimatum on when the decision had to be made.”
Joel Embiid #11 of Team United States gestures towards the crowd that booed him. Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Joel Embiid’s relationship with Cameroon and France
In the same interview with The New York Times before the start of the Paris 2024 Olympics, Embiid emphasized his connection to Cameroon while expressing a preference for the United States over France: “I got my home country, Cameroon, which I love, then the U.S., where I’ve been for 14 years now, and then France, where I have a lot of family”.
Embiid made it clear that Cameroon was always his first choice to represent if they had qualified for the Olympics: “It was always known that Cameroon was the first choice, and if they qualified, I would play for my home country.”
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Another significant reason for choosing Team USA was the strained relationship between France and African countries: “I had the opportunity to talk to the French president about the issues, and I told him that the relationship between France and Cameroon, and Africa in general, was bothering me.”
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He concluded: “There are a lot of things happening there, with a lot of pushback against French influence due to years of oppression. I still have family in Cameroon, and I don’t want to put them through any of that. I want them to be safe, and the relationship between France and Cameroon, or Africa in general, is just not good.”
