Sixers’ Joel Embiid under heavy fire by French star

• Joel Embiid will play for Team USA.
• He chose USA Basketball over France and Cameroon.
• French legend Frederic Weiss is livid at him.

Joel Embiid’s National Team Decision Ripped By Former Player

Joel Embiid is one of the best players in the National Basketball Association, but outside of Philadelphia 76ers fans, he doesn’t seem tobe a very popular figure among basketball fans.

He’s often called out for his antics, his flopping, and his underperformances in the postseason. Moreover, his decision to play for Team USA over Cameroon or France was met with heavy criticism.

Unspririsngly, that includes French legend Frederic Weiss — who’s known for being on the wrong end of Vince Carter’s iconic poster dunk — who recently put Embiid on blast for choosing to play for USA Basketball.

Frederic Weiss Calls For Embiid To Get Banned From France

“I consider this boy a great player as much as he is a dirty guy. I hate him for the things that he did. I think he doesn’t have any respect for France and also for all the people who are asking for a French passport and don’t get it,” Weiss said. “And under the pretext that he is a great athlete, he got it. I find it scandalous, I find it embarrassing. I don’t care about his excuses, cause they are his words, and his words mean nothing”.

Recently, a letter sent by Embiid to French President Emmanuel Macron talking about his desire to play for the national team went viral, reigniting this debate about his decision. Of course, Weiss didn’t like that:

“I would take away from him the French nationality and I would ban him from entering France. You will not play in the Olympics. You will come to the airport with Team USA and we will say: You don’t have the right to enter the territory, go to your home. You are Cameronian, you are American, you are not French, go away,” he added.

At the end of the day, Embiid chose to do what he thinks is best for his career, and there’s nothing wrong with that. Whether he took the easier path or not, that’s not for us to decide.

Ernesto Cova is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, and international soccer. Since the inception of Bolavip US in 2020, he has been a leading content creator and took on additional responsibilities as a sub-editor in 2023. Ernesto specializes in daily sports news, producing 100% original content that includes potential trade rumors, player and team rankings, and more. He holds a BA in Psychology from Universidad Central de Venezuela and has completed postgraduate studies in Sports Psychology at APDA (Argentina). His previous work includes contributions to Fadeaway World and The Cold Wire, with a primary focus on the NBA.