Steve Kerr's Honest Joel Embiid Statement During Paris Olympics

Golden State Warriors and Team USA head coach Steve Kerr spoke on Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid

Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States center Joel Embiid (11) gestures to the crowd in the fourth quarter against Puerto Rico during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. | John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

USA Basketball was able to add Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid to their Paris Olympics roster despite him being eligible to play for France or Cameroon.

With France hosting this year's Olympics, the fans have been booing Embiid every Team USA game due to his decision not to join their roster. This is something the 76ers star has embraced, which was evident at the end of Team USA's win over Puerto Rico on Saturday.

Playing along with the fans, Embiid encouraged the booing as the clock ran out:

Embiid was taunting the crowd and then immediately airballed the deep three 😭 pic.twitter.com/jDufHPwDk7
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 3, 2024

Speaking with reporters after the game, Golden State Warriors and Team USA head coach Steve Kerr said the following on Embiid and how he has handled the booing (per Tim Reynolds of AP Sports):

“That’s all you can do is laugh about it. He’s done a good job just making light of it. And his teammates obviously have his back. It’s all part of it. I’m sure he knew this was coming. And what I like is that after the French fans would boo, you could hear the American fans cheer. So, everybody seems to be having some fun with it.”

Aug 3, 2024; Villeneuve-d'Ascq, France; United States head coach Steve Kerr during the second quarter against Puerto Rico during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at Stade Pierre-Mauroy. | John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Embiid did not play in Team USA's win over South Sudan, but started against Puerto Rico, recording 15 points and three rebounds in 23 minutes. In two Olympic games, Embiid has tallied 19 points, five rebounds, and three blocks.

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