PARIS: Joel Embiid had a succinct message for jeering French fans on Friday as he and his US teammates prepared to take on the host nation for Olympic men's basketball gold.
"They're gonna boo me. I'm gonna go back at them and tell them to suck it," said the Philadelphia 76ers big man, who earned NBA Most Valuable Player honours in 2023.
French fans have heckled the Cameroon-born Embiid relentlessly since the start of competition, irked that he chose to play for the United States when he was eligible to represent France after being made a citizen in 2022.
Embiid, who also has US citizenship, said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) that he plumped for the US for the chance to play with his NBA colleagues and "to honour my son who was born in the US."
"I want my boy to know I played my first Olympics for him," Embiid wrote.
He hinted that by the time the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics roll around he could play for his native Cameroon. Apparently, France need not apply.
"I think being with Team US, the group of guys that we have, the people around us, made it easy to just enjoy and then Paris is a great city, too, and then the next one is in LA," he said.
"We will see, I don't know. Maybe (the next one) might not be with Team US, maybe it might be with Cameroon." - AFP