An Olympian has faced backlash for responding to fans who booed him during the competition.
NBA star Joel Embiid, known for playing with the Philadelphia 76ers, caused a stir by making an obscene gesture towards critics at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
If fans feel free to criticize him, it’s only fair that he can respond.
While elite athletes are expected to perform under pressure and ignore external distractions, they are still human and have natural reactions.
You might be wondering what exactly Embiid did to upset the Olympic crowd.
It’s less about what he did and more about what he didn’t do. The dissatisfaction mainly comes from French nationals, with possibly some Cameroonians joining in.
Embiid hails from Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon in central Africa.
He started playing basketball at 15 and moved to the United States a year later to pursue his NBA dreams.
Given that he has only lived in the US and Cameroon, why is France involved?
Embiid has relatives in France, and that connection was enough for French President Emmanuel Macron.
In July 2022, France granted Embiid citizenship as a ‘foreigner’ whose ‘naturalization is of exceptional interest,’ grooming him to play for the French national team.
So why did he opt to play for Team USA alongside LeBron James and Steph Curry?
Embiid explained that his decision was driven by a desire to win gold for his son.
In an October 2023 tweet, he expressed: “I’m really proud and excited about this decision. It was not easy. I am blessed to call Cameroon, France, and the USA home.
“After talking to my family, I knew it had to be Team USA. I want to play with my brothers in the league. I want to play for my fans because they’ve been incredible since the day I came here.
“But most of all, I want to honor my son who was born in the US. I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him.”
After Team USA’s victory over Serbia, fans took to social media to vent over a video showing Embiid making an explicit gesture.
Embiid performed the ‘suck it’ motion, a crotch-chop popularized by wrestlers Shawn Michaels and Triple H of D-Generation X fame, aimed at the French fans.
The gesture, whose meaning is quite clear, further enraged the French crowd, who saw it as highly disrespectful.
One user commented: “Selfish clown. Making it about him!”
Another noted: “A real villain. The game needs this.”
In response, someone wrote: “I understand disliking him. He’s crude, nasty, disgusting, but I would sacrifice my firstborn child and light myself on fire for him!”
Another person added: “As a reminder if you’re rooting against this man you are literally French.”
Team USA is set to face Team France tomorrow, with both teams already assured of leaving with at least a silver medal.
Additional words by Dylan Murray.