Joel Embiid taunted French crowd after Team USA’s near-loss to Serbia
Team USA center Joel Embiid continues to tarnish his reputation amongst the local fans at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Embiid has been beefing with French fans throughout the Olympic men’s basketball tournament.
The Embiid vs. France rivalry continued Thursday following the Americans’ massive scare against Serbia at Bercy Arena in Paris, France. Team USA clawed their way out of a 17-point hole to beat the Serbs in the Olympic semifinal 95-91.
After the final buzzer had sounded, Embiid danced around and goaded the French crowd.
Joel Embiid the last guy from Team USA to leave the court, eggs on the entire French crowd into loudly booing him then does the “suck it” motion over and over lol pic.twitter.com/XFdNCoeIn6
— Grant Marek (@Grant_Marek) August 8, 2024
Embiid and Ant Man… 😭💀 #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/lJBI8uVGqi
— Rob Hodge (@RobHodge_) August 9, 2024
Embiid was Team USA’s second-leading scorer with 19 points to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists. He also hit several big shots in the fourth quarter to keep his team afloat. Steph Curry led all scorers with 36 points and 9 three-pointers.
It wasn’t the first time Embiid had taunted the French fans during a game. The big man similarly riled up the crowd during Team USA’s group stage matchup against Puerto Rico.
The men’s basketball championship game will fittingly feature a matchup between the US and France. The hometown team upset Germany in a 73-69 affair to secure their spot in the Olympic final.
The crowd was already booing Embiid as loudly as they could throughout Team USA’s run in the Summer Games against other opponents. The jeers may reach unprecedented levels during Saturday’s final with France opposite the American squad.