Former French Olympian Rips 'Dirty Guy' Joel Embiid For Decision To Play For Team USA Over France

Published|Updated

Frederic Weis, the former French Olympian best known for being dunked on by Vince Carter during the Games in 2000, went on an unhinged rampage against Joel Embiid given his decision to represent Team USA and not France in the upcoming Paris Olympics.

The Philadelphia 76ers star is originally from Cameroon and was granted French citizenship in July 2022 and American citizenship just a few months later. To put things mildly, Weis believes Embiid should have chosen to play blue, white and red instead of the red, white and blue.

Sixers big Joel Embiid drives to the basket on Denver Nuggets C Nikola Jokic at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia.

 (Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

Weis joined a French radio show to discuss Embiid's decision, calling him a "dirty guy" before also saying "I hate him." 

"I consider this boy a great player as much as he is a dirty guy," Weis said, according to Eurohoops. "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. 

"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."

France's Weis Wants to Punish Joel Embiid

Weis didn't stop there. He thinks the French government should get involved and ban Embiid from entering the country later this summer.

"I would take away from him the French nationality and I would ban him from entering France," he continued. "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 Cameroonian, you are American, you are not French, go away."

Talk about some truly ridiculous comments. 

Embiid's talent on the basketball court speaks for itself as one of the best players on the planet. But it's the United States and the NBA that have awarded him the opportunity to become not only a superstar, but an incredibly wealthy one along the way.

Embiid representing the country that has given him the opportunity to build his very fortunate life was a no-brainer, but hey, Weis accomplished what he was looking for.  That's to create a headline while not being concerned about sounding like a man completely detached from reality.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.