Joel Embiid says he is going to have fun when US faces France for gold

Cameroon-born American basketball player, Joel Embiid, has a message for the French.

He said he is looking forward to facing a hostile crowd in Paris when the defending men's basketball champions face hosts France for the gold medal on Saturday

The centre player has been booed by the French crowds during the Olympics for choosing to play for the United States rather than France.

Although he has French citizenship, Embiid says he does not understand the criticism as he has lived half his life in the US and the rest in Cameroon.

"For me, it's all about doing whatever it takes to win the gold. So, that's what I'm focussed on.  It’s all about, you know, team USA against France,” he said.

The Philadelphia 76ers star and former NBA Most Valuable Player awardee said he was looking forward to back-and-forth with the French fans and had a message for the haters.

"I know myself, I'm going to interact. If they go boo, I'm going to go back at them and tell them, 'suck it'. And so it's going to be fun," he said.

The argument stems from a disagreement between the French basketball federation and Embiid.

It said it helped him get French citizenship in 2022 at his direction for the express purpose of being able to play for Team France.

Embiid, however, has denied there was a quid pro quo, but admitted that French President Emmanuel Macron had called him to convince him to choose France after he had gained citizenship.