LeBron James has defended Joel Embiid from the hate he received from fans at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The hate stemmed from the big man on Team USA’s decision to play for the Americans instead of the French. The Philadelphia 76ers center has been heckled since they landed in Paris, and the heckling carried over to the games.
Despite all the lambasting, Joel Embiid found support from James and the entire US squad.
“We are all on Jo’s [Joel’s] side … Jo’s in great spirits, we’re all in great spirits, and as his 11 teammates, we just give him the support that he needs both on the floor and off the floor if needed,” LeBron said in an interview (via The Athletic).
Embiid has struggled since the team’s first pre-Olympic showcase games, and it continued at the Olympics. Not much has gone his way, especially with him getting benched for the whole game against South Sudan.
In the two group phase games he played, Embiid’s offensive game didn’t seem to mesh with coach Steve Kerr’s five-out motion offense, averaging only 9.5 points with 42.1% scoring success. He also posted only 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks, raising questions about his defensive prowess.
All the taunting seems to have gotten in Embiid’s head. Regardless, LeBron James and the whole of Team USA are keeping faith in their big man as they look to start him over Anthony Davis and Bam Adebayo in their following games.
Joel Embiid explains why he picked to play for USA over France
Joel Embiid said familiarity was the key reason he decided to play for the American team instead of his national team. He further elaborated on this in a recent interview.
“It was a tough decision, but it is all about comfort level, and like I said, I’ve known these guys (Team USA players) for a long time and I just felt more comfortable than on the other side (France),” Embiid said (via The Athletic).
The seven-time NBA All-Star also received pressure from multiple French Basketball executives after they helped him obtain a passport to play for France. It was reported that even the French president, Emmanuel Macron, tried to convince Embiid. If he agreed, the Sixers center would have been France’s third starter-caliber player next to Victor Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert.
Meanwhile, players of the French team questioned the higher-ups’ desire to get an “outsider” to play for the team when he wasn’t born in France. That seeming resentment and the good relationship Embiid has built with players like LeBron James justify his choice to play for the Stars and Stripes.
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