The day is finally here. Team USA made their way to the training camp amid the heated NBA off-season. Steph Curry reached the camp first, directly sending a message to his fans that he was locked in. Following him, the remaining roster, including the Philadelphia 76ers star center, Joel Embiid, showed up at the facility. However, ball fans weren’t happy with the Sixers star’s presence on the side for a particular reason. And they unleashed their wrath on him in the comments section.
The Cameroonian star didn’t just show up at the facility out of the blue. The 30-year-old’s inclusion in the super roster of Team USA already had the fans debating, and it blew up further on the day of his arrival at the camp. A fan wrote, “Embiid is a disgrace.” The criticisms regarding Embiid’s citizenship have been debated for over a year. Notably, it isn’t just the US fans but also the French fans, who once criticized the big man similarly.
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Is Joel Embiid a disgrace for joining Team USA? React!
First and foremost, Embiid has dual citizenship with the USA and France apart from his home country, Cameroon. Upon his request to the French Federation of Basketball in 2021, he managed to get his hands on a French passport. The Sixers star wrote a letter to the federation’s president, Jean Pierre-Siutat, expressing his wish to play for Team France in the Olympics and European Championship. However, the star couldn’t play the European Championship because of his thumb injury. Months later, he received citizenship from the US and also declared that he would represent the States in the Paris Olympics.
The star center’s immediate switch left the French fans upset, and they took to social media comments, attacking Embiid. Speaking of his tangled citizenship with three nations, he said, “It was tough. Obviously, I love all three options. With my home country, which I love a lot, but I really want to participate in the Olympics… My family, my son, and having the chance to represent a country like the U.S. and my son being born here.”
Fans call out “fraud” Joel Embiid as he arrives at Team USA camp
It’s easy to ignite the NBA world. They hate ‘disloyalty’. One of the biggest examples is Kevin Durant. The Slim Reaper, despite being a talented baller, received the fans’ wrath just for switching sides to win a ring. He left the OKC Thunder, where he played for 8 seasons, and joined the Golden State Warriors, an already-stacked championship roster, to win a ring. Eventually, KD managed to win two rings, but he still hasn’t escaped the fans’ hate.
Similarly, Joel Embiid also has a similar story, where he left Cameroon and joined Team USA to win a championship. A fan, addressing the situation, wrote, “He’s a fraud he should’ve played with Cameroon.” Team Cameroon is currently playing in the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament. And of course, Embiid’s inclusion on the side could have been a massive boost to the side.
He’s not American he should be helping his country where he from 🤦🏾♂️
— DJ.AW (@RockStoneAW) July 5, 2024
Every single post from fans reflected only one emotion, Joel Embiid’s choice not to play for his home country. Despite having the advantage of hosting a strong center in Team USA, fans didn’t expect the star to play. A fan, drifting away from the emotion, wrote, “Embiid American soft,” along with a flurry of laughing emojis. The fan took a dig at him for choosing a super team over his home country, which struggling to make it to the Olympics.
Joel should be helping out siakam and Cameroon not riding a free train.
— Gamez (@G_amez_) July 5, 2024
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Building on the same emotion, another fan expected the star to help Pascal Siakam, who is also a Cameroonian. However, the current roster doesn’t have the star forward in its roster as well. Nevertheless, the Hoops Nation isn’t a big fan of someone who doesn’t show up for their home country.
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Before you go, do not forget to check out Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, to open up about the infamous Shaq-Kobe feud. Keep checking this space for more such updates.
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