While Philadelphia center Joel Embiid (30) of the National Basketball Association (NBA) decided to compete in the 2024 Paris Olympics as the U.S. national team, French basketball legend Frederick Weiss (47) criticized Embiid.
“Biz told French radio that Embiid should be banned from the 2024 Paris Olympics,” the British media Daily Mail said on Tuesday. The American Basketball Association recently revealed 12 members of the “Dream Team” Olympics, including Embiid.
Amid criticism that Embiid, who even wrote a letter to Macron to acquire French citizenship, betrayed France, French basketball legend has publicly shot him. Born in Cameroon and spending time in the U.S. since high school, Embiid has acquired French citizenship in 2022 and has three nationalities. At the time, he wrote a letter to President Emmanuel Macron saying he would serve French basketball to acquire French citizenship.
When Embiid chose the U.S. national team that is likely to win the gold medal, French legend began to criticize him. “He has no respect for France. I also think he has no respect for everyone who wished for a French passport but did not get it,” Vice said. “He got it (French nationality) under the pretext of an athlete. I think that is shameful and embarrassing. I don’t care about his excuses. What he says doesn’t mean anything.”
Weiz, who was drafted in the first round by the New York Knicks in 1999, but did not play in the NBA, retired in 2011 after 16 years of playing in Europe including Spain, France and Greece. He won the French League once (2000) and was selected as an All-Star in the French League four times, and made a great contribution to the silver medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as a member of the national team. In particular, he is also famous for being the scapegoat for the all-time “In Your Face” dunk, in which Vince Carter of the United States flew over his head and hit the dunk during the Sydney Olympics.
Vice said, “We have to understand one context. He is an outstanding player who was last year’s NBA MVP. This is why France decided to give him nationality. We can make amazing gains at the sports level,” representing France’s position.
“We are living in an era of sports business, and now we are choosing the national team as well as the club,” he said. “Who has the better offer? Where does it give me the best chance to win? Unfortunately, it is accepted almost everywhere,” he said, pointing out the reality of players choosing nationality.
“I will deprive Embiid of his French nationality and ban him from entering France,” he said. “You have no right to enter French territory. Go home. You are Cameroonian, American, not French.”
Embiid played with 28 points and 8 rebounds in the first round of the playoffs against the New York Knicks on the 21st amid controversy over the “back of the French head,” but the team lost 104-1111.
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