PARIS, France — It was Joel Embiid’s time to celebrate. And he savored every second. One of two U.
S. players left on the court following their 95-91 comeback victory over Serbia in the Olympic men’s basketball semifinals, Embiid decided to dance. He shuffled up the court, pumping his hands toward the sky while teammate Anthony Edwards looked on.
Embiid then did four WWE-style crotch chops. Embiid has dealt with heckles from French fans since he arrived in the country two weeks ago. It centers on his choice to suit up with the U.
S. team in the Paris Olympics despite an opportunity to play for France. That moment on the court Thursday night was his answer.
It followed a signature game in which he responded to his critics by producing 19 points, four rebounds and a block to spearhead a furious U.S. rally that saw Embiid outshine Serbian star and NBA nemesis Nikola Jokic.
Afterward, though, Embiid insisted that advancing to Saturday’s gold-medal match against France , and not the criticism he’s faced thus far, was top of his mind. “I don’t care. The job is to win the gold,” Embiid said.
“I’m not going to sit here and say I don’t love France. I do love France. I have a lot of people here.
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The banter against the fans, that’s love and respect.” What is clear is that Thursday was one of the biggest moments of the 2022–23 NBA MVP’s basketball career. And it showed why the U.
S wanted him on this team. On a night when the U.S.
started slowly, with only .