Joel Embiid experienced a bittersweet debut in the Paris 2024 Olympics. While LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry led Team USA to an impressive win over Serbia (110-84), the star of the Philadelphia 76ers was constantly booed by hundreds of fans at Pierre Mauroy Stadium.
During the last few months, Embiid has lived another tough stretch in his career. It’s important to remember that, because of a knee injury, Joel wasn’t at full strength in the NBA playoffs.
As a consequence, Joel Embiid’s status sparked a national debate. If Kawhi Leonard left the team, many experts thought the center should have done the same to avoid further damage.
Why is Joel Embiid being booed in Paris 2024 Olympics?
Of course, the other big topic around Joel Embiid has been which country he should represent. The star was born in Cameroon and moved to the United States at age 16.
Furthermore, in 2022, Joel became a French citizen. Although the player never lived in France, the government allowed a speedy naturalization and, as a consequence, millions of fans though he would be the biggest rival of Team USA playing alongside Rudy Gobert and Victor Wembanyama.
However, Joel Embiid surprisingly changed his mind and decided to represent the United States. That’s why French fans are booing him in the Paris 2024 Olympics.
