In the men's Olympic basketball final, Joel Embiid fights against the fans – and he is ready for it

PARIS — The outcome of Saturday's men's basketball gold medal game will have serious implications: France is seeking its first gold medal, and at home, and the United States is looking to continue its legendary championship streak and further shape its legacy.

And then there's Joel Embiid against the French. It's the side note about the Paris games that always writes itself: The fan base of a country regularly booed the NBA superstar because he chose to play for the USA instead of Les Bleus.

The crowd's reaction startled Embiid, elicited countless thoughtful remarks, and spurred the U.S. team by prompting Embiid's teammates to rally to his side.

And when these two countries meet at 3:30 p.m. ET at Bercy Arena, the Embiid saga will continue.

“It's the USA vs France game, but I know myself, I'm going to join in and enjoy it,” Embiid said, before smiling and joking, “They're going to boo me. I'm going to go back and tell them to fuck off. And that's how it's going to be fun.”

To be fair, Embiid already did on Tuesday what he said he would do on Saturday. During the victory over Brazil in the Olympic quarterfinals, Embiid brought his hands in a chopping motion toward his hips — performing the gesture he mentioned above.

If the Olympics could punish a player, maybe Embiid's wallet would be a little lighter. He wouldn't care, as long as his neck gets a little heavier with a gold medallion around it.

It's a stroke of luck that the Olympic tournament is shaping up to have the USA and France fighting for gold. It's already a repeat of the Tokyo Olympic final, which the USA narrowly won. And France has beaten the Americans twice in five years. If the French were ever to win gold in men's basketball, doing so in their country's capital against the best international team in the world would be the way to go.

Embiid, who has dual citizenship of both countries, could have sided with France. But he didn't, and now the question is, at least in part, whether he defends his honor and decision or the French make him pay for it.

When France celebrated a surprise victory against Germany in the semifinals and the question immediately arose whether Embiid might have gold at stake.

“I don't think about it,” said 28-year-old French big man Guerschon Yabusele, who was so good against Germany that he inspired chants of “MVP” from the home crowd. “I'm married. I have two kids. I think about other things just to think about him. At the end of the day, I just play basketball. So if he gets in that group, I think that would be great. (But) he's not here and we're still going to the Olympic final and so on. So whatever happened outside of that, it already happened, you know? So we're going to Saturday ready to fight.”

Of all the French participants who would like to win the whole thing without Embiid, 35-year-old Nic Batum has the most unique perspective. At the start of the last NBA season, not long after Embiid's controversial national team pick was announced, the longtime NBA veteran was traded from the Clippers to Embiid's team, the Philadelphia 76ers. Batum, who was close with Embiid before the trade and remains so now, downplayed the awkward dynamic that will be keenly felt.

“I don’t care now,” he said The athlete of Embiid's choice. “He made the best decision for him. I'm happy for him. We still have a good team. It's nothing. It's just basketball. He made the decision and I was traded (to his team) three weeks later and we were best friends (during the season).”

But Batum is well aware that the boos will come anyway.

“Hey, I played with him at (Madison Square) Garden,” he said, smiling. “He's used to it.”

The French Basketball Federation has said it helped Embiid get a French passport on its instructions, with the express goal of being able to play for the French national team. Embiid has denied there was any quid pro quo, but also admitted that French President Emmanuel Macron called him to convince him to choose France after he obtained citizenship.
Embiid's reasons for choosing the United States, where he has lived since his youth, varied widely during the Olympics, ranging from saying “I'm an American” to suggesting he chose the U.S. because he felt more comfortable there and “wanted” by the team and its players.

After Tuesday's game against Serbia, in which Embiid scored a new summer record with 19 points and played a key role in the closing stages of the Americans' historic comeback, the Cameroon-born Embiid softened his stance and said: “I love France.”

On Friday, Embiid said: “Having spent half my life in the United States and the other half in my home country of Cameroon, it just seemed like there were two options. And I've said from the beginning that everyone knew that if Cameroon had qualified (for the Olympics), playing for anyone other than Cameroon would not have been an option for anyone other than Cameroon.”

Elsewhere in his interview Friday, Embiid hinted that he could play for the U.S. or Cameroon in the 2028 Olympics — but he probably doesn't know the rules. After playing for the U.S. in sanctioned international competition, he would need waivers from FIBA ​​and USA Basketball to play for anyone else. It's hard to imagine the U.S. granting NBA MVP-caliber Embiid a waiver to play against the Americans in the Los Angeles Games.

In addition to Embiid, who is of course seeking his first ever gold medal, the USA is trying to win a fifth consecutive gold medal. This will be Steve Kerr's last game as USA coach – he has announced he will step down after this summer – and he is trying to win his gold medal before making way for the next great NBA coach to lead the American program.
Incidentally, one of France's best assistants is a friend of Kerr and until recently one of his main assistants at the Golden State Warriors, Kenny Atkinson. In addition, French general manager Boris Diaw was a teammate of US general manager Grant Hill at the Phoenix Suns, whom Diaw described as a “great teammate” and whom he loves and respects. Neither of them has won gold in their respective jobs.

Kevin Durant can become the first Olympic player to win four gold medals. LeBron James can win his third and first in 12 years. Stephen Curry, 36, has made it clear this is his first and only chance to win one – which makes his 36 points and game-winning baskets in a furious 17-point comeback against Serbia in the Olympic semifinals seem even more important.

“You should never say never, but I went into this experience thinking that this would be my only time playing in the Olympics and experiencing this stage,” Curry said. “So that was part of my relief and joy (on Thursday). I didn't want to be on the first team since 2004 to not make the gold medal game and get a gold medal in my only chance here. We all signed up for this to accomplish a mission and we're one game away from making it.”

(Top photo: Aris Messinis / AFP via Getty Images)