Featured Image Credit: Ezra Shaw/Christina Pahnke - sampics/Getty Images
Topics: Basketball, NBA, Olympics, France
Joe Yates
Topics: Basketball, NBA, Olympics, France
An Olympian has been slammed for hitting back at fans who have booed him throughout the competition.
NBA star Joel Embiid, who plays his club basketball for the Philadelphia 76ers, has sparked controversy for biting back at haters in the form of an x-rated gesture during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
I mean, if the crowd are happy enough to give him stick then they've got to be prepared for him to give it back.
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In this day and age, elite athletes are supposed to perform and zone out all external noise, but they are human beings too - you and I would react, why can't they?
You're probably thinking, what on Earth has Embiid done to rile up the crowd at the Olympics?
Well, it's more what he didn't do - and by crowd it's the French nationals... although there may be some Cameroonians in the crowd sharing their displeasure.
Embiid was born in Yaoundé, the capital city of Cameroon - a country in central Africa.
He began playing basketball at the age of 15, and then a year later moved to the US to pursue his dream of playing in the NBA.
The US and Cameroon are the only two countries he has lived in, so why is France involved?
Well, he has relatives living in the country - and apparently for French President Emmanuel Macron, that is enough.
In July 2022, Embiid was granted citizenship by France as a 'foreigner' whose 'naturalization is of exceptional interest' - meaning they were grooming him to play for their nation.
So why did he choose to play alongside LeBron James and Steph Curry for Team USA?
Embiid stated that he wanted to win gold for his son.
He tweeted back in October 2023: "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."
Taking to the social media platform after Team USA beat Serbia, fans fumed at a video of him making an x-rated gesture.
Embiid gifted the French fans by doing the notorious 'suck it' motion, better known as a crotch-chop, made famous by professional wrestlers Shawn Michaels and Triple H, known collectively as D-Generation X.
The explicit taunt, which’s meaning is pretty self-explanatory, drew more fierce reactions from the French crowd, who became irate over Embiid’s disrespectful actions.
One user wrote: "Selfish clown. Making it about him!"
While another said: "A real villain. The game needs this."
Replying, 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!"
But it didn't stop there, one person commented: "As a reminder if you’re rooting against this man you are literally French."
Team USA play Team France tomorrow with both teams guaranteed to leave with a silver medal.
Additional words by Dylan Murray.