"USA-France for gold a Joke" - Skip Bayless warns Victor Wembanyama's squad to brace for Joel Embiid's fury in Olympic gold medal game
Veteran sports analyst Skip Bayless expects Team USA to beat France in the gold medal men's basketball game at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, with Joel Embiid taking front and center.
The former host of FS1's Undisputed made his thoughts known in a video post on X, formerly Twitter, following Team USA's scintillating 95-91 come-from-behind victory over Serbia in the semifinal on Thursday. Embiid played a pivotal role as the U.S. dug deep to pull off the hard-earned win.
In his post, Bayless gave props to LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry, who stepped up to help the Americans stave off a massive upset against Nikola Jokic and Serbia.
Bayless, though, made special mention of Joel Embiid, who had initially planned to play for France before deciding to wear the stars and stripes. The Philadelphia 76ers has been on a tear in the knockouts, which Bayless said could spell trouble for Victor Wembanyama and France in the final.
Bayless captioned his post:
"Joel Embiid, who could've played for France, will make USA-France for gold a JOKE."
Check out his post below:
Team USA trailed Serbia by double figures for much of the contest until the Americans, led by the quartet of Curry, James, Durant and Embiid, made a spirited comeback in the fourth quarter.
They pulled even at 84-all with 3:41 left in the game and took it from there, closing things out with an 11-7 run to seal the comeback win and book their spot against hosts France on Sunday.
Curry top-scored for the U.S. with 36 points, built on a fiery 9-of-14 shooting from three. Joel Embiid had 19 points, while James had a triple-double of 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists.
Joel Embiid tearing it up of late for Team USA
One-time NBA MVP Joel Embiid had a slow start to his Paris Olympic Games campaign for Team USA but has picked things up in the knockouts.
The Philadelphia 76ers big man opened his Olympic play with a four-point, two-rebound outing in 11 minutes against Serbia. He then earned a DNP-coach's decision against South Sudan before returning in their last Group C game against Puerto Rico with 15 points in 23 minutes.
Embiid's ascent has gained wind further in the knockouts, imposing his play more against their opponents, which has considerably help Team USA's cause. Against Brazil in the quarterfinals, he played only 12 minutes but had 14 points on a solid 5-of-6 shooting to go along with seven rebounds in a 122-87 win.
In the rematch against Serbia in the semifinals on Thursday, Joel Embiid was clutch down the stretch as the US made a ferocious comeback in the fourth period to advance to the final. He played a tournament-high 27 minutes and wound up with 19 points, going 2-of-3 from deep, and seven rebounds.
In the final, Embiid will battle French big men and fellow NBA stars Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio) and Rudy Gobert (Minnesota).