Kansas basketball alum Joel Embiid helps power Team USA to Olympics gold medal game

A former Jayhawk made his presence felt on the international stage today as Team USA Men’s Basketball defeated reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and the Serbian National Team 95-91.

The U.S. team faced a large deficit through most of the first half, down by double digits at halftime – but thanks to former Kansas basketball phenom Joel Embiid, the team was able to battle back.

Embiid had some clutch moments down the stretch, finishing with 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field – 7 of those coming in the fourth quarter. He was 2-for-3 from 3-point range and chipped in 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and one block.

Kansas Athletic Director Travis Goff was at the game in Paris rooting on the former Jayhawk.

Embiid and Team USA will now face NBA star Victor Wembanyama and the French National Team for the gold medal on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT. The game will be streamed on Peacock TV and NBC.