Joel Embiid’s decision to participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics has worked against him so far. The Philadelphia 76ers star is being ridiculed every other day for his poor performance for Team USA. During a recent conversation on SiriusXM NBA Radio, Sam Mitchell criticized Embiid for his lack of dedication towards the given opportunity.
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The former NBA star outlined that despite being Cameroonian and being eligible to play for France, Embiid was selected to play for Team USA. However, the former MVP has only shown so far that he isn’t taking it as seriously as people expected him to.
Mitchell questioned both Embiid’s willingness to play, and USA Basketball’s decision to select him in a passionate rant:
“For Joel Embiid to be given that right, to not have been born here, to have had the opportunity to play for three national teams…To show up out of shape, disinterested it makes me wonder, why did we go through heaven and earth…to woo him to come play for us?”
"To show up out of shape, disinterested, it makes me wonder"@SamMitchellNBA is not happy with the way Joel Embiid prepared for Team USA…take a listen⬇️ pic.twitter.com/sRWSibGffq
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) August 7, 2024
The 60-year-old stated that he doesn’t have a problem with Embiid, but he still can’t digest how disinterested he has been about a campaign as important as the Olympics.
Mitchell believes that it has been a wasted opportunity as the spot that was given to him could’ve gone to an American-born player who would not only deserve it but would also do it justice.
He trashed the 76ers star for being careless regarding the honor that it is to represent the USA on an international platform. Embiid’s fitness and lack of interest in the Olympics isn’t a point of concern for Mitchell only as recently Charles Barkley also echoed similar sentiments against him.
Barkley calls out Embiid’s poor Olympic performance
Embiid has been a disappointment for Team USA so far and even though other players on the team are not having a great time in Paris, he is the one being targeted by everyone.
Stephen Curry has had a subpar run in his Olympic debut as well, but as Mitchell said, it’s not about the play, it’s about the lack of interest being shown by the player.
During a conversation with Paul George, Barkley said,
“I hope this is a wake-up [call] for Joel, this Olympic experience. He has not played well and I’m hoping he’s like, ‘Yo man, I gotta get in better shape.’ Me personally, I think that’s one of the reasons he’s always injured.”
The NBA veteran believes that if Embiid continues to disappoint with his game as well as his preparation, the upcoming season for the 76ers won’t be any different, although they have added some incredible players on the roster.
