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• Embiid out to silence French jeers in Olympic final after choosing Team USA

  Joel Embiid is out to silence a hostile French crowd when Team USA face the hosts in the men's basketball gold medal match at the Paris Olympics on Saturday. 

  Embiid, who was born in Cameroon but was granted US citizenship in 2022, declared for Team USA late last year after his home country failed to qualify. 

  That decision came after he also sought French citizenship, amid suggestions president Emmanuel Macron had called the Philadelphia 76ers star to convince him to represent the hosts.

  Embiid has been jeered by French fans throughout the basketball tournament, with the USA winning all five of their games to date, reaching the final with Thursday's comeback victory over Serbia.

  On the eve of Saturday's gold medal match, Embiid said: "Frankly, I don't understand why I've gotten a lot of criticism from the crowd. 

  "They're going to boo me. I'm going to go back at them and tell them to 'suck it.' It's going to be fun."

  Reflecting on his decision to link up with LeBron James, Stephen Curry and company in representing the USA, Embiid said he would have played for Cameroon if they had qualified.

  "Having lived half of my life in the US and the other half in my country, Cameroon, it just looked like it was, 'you could go two ways'," Embiid said. 

  "I said from the beginning that if Cameroon would've qualified, that would never have been a choice. Then having the family [in the US] and having built a lot of things and having accomplished a lot of things, knowing the group of guys deeply, it just made it easy.

  "I think a lot of people wanted to make it an issue because of the storyline and all that stuff.

  "But to me it's whatever it takes to win gold. So that's what I'm focused on. It's all about Team USA against France."

• Ibrahimovic: I was not interested in listening to the Class of '92

  Zlatan Ibrahimovic was "not interested in listening to the Class of '92" during his stint at Manchester United.

  Ibrahimovic spent two years with United between 2016 and 2018, helping them win the EFL Cup and Europa League under Jose Mourinho.

  The Swedish striker scored 29 goals in 53 appearances for the Red Devils.

  However, he paid little attention to their illustrious past during his time at the club.

  "In my mindset, I want to make my own history. I was not interested in what happened before, with all respect," he told The Athletic.

  "[It] brings pressure to live up to what they were used to, but I was not interested in listening to the Class of '92.

  "That doesn't help me because I wanted to [make] my own history. I wanted people to say, 'You won and United won this together.'"

  Ibrahimovic's career spanned an impressive 24 years, with his move to the Premier League heavyweights coming when the striker was already 35.

  He added: "People said I'm too old, I should retire, blah blah blah. But this triggers me. This — I will prove you wrong."

  During his time in Manchester, Ibrahimovic won his first major European trophy, and he credits manager Mourinho for the success he experienced during his stint in England.

  "Jose was a machine. He brings the best out of you. He's that person — manipulative. He knows how to get in your head. He knows how to treat you, independent of your level," Ibrahimovic said.

  "He reminded me of [Fabio] Capello. But a newer version. Discipline. Hardcore. Intense. Not the soft types. This is what I like."

  Ibrahimovic played under ex-England manager Capello while at Juventus from 2004 to 2006. And those disciplinarian values that were on display under Mourinho, also spurred him on in Italy.

  "[Capello] was destroying me. But at the same time building me. How? Easy. 'Today you were s***. Tomorrow you’re the best.' And it would go like that," he recalled.

  "So, when you think you're the best, he would destroy you. Then it becomes confusion and you don’t know: 'F***, am I really the best or am I s***?' So, when you were down, he was building you up.

  "I didn’t understand it. There was no balance. But it made me always give 200%. He shaped me."

  The five-time Serie A champion is now working as an advisor to Milan's board. While he was not overawed with United's history, he has learned from his former club's winning culture.

  "You need an identity, culture and a tradition from the club, as well as a coach. A winner creates winners. Losers don't create winners. That's a culture," Ibrahimovic explains.

  "When you come into the club, as a young talent or a player with potential, the club will shape you because you grow to understand the way a club works and the surroundings. At Milan, we want to create this in a positive way."

• 'It's bull****' – Johnson slams exclusion from NFL Top 100 list

  Chicago Bears cornerback Jaylon Johnson has lashed out at his exclusion from the NFL's Top 100 list for the 2023 season, describing the omission as "bull****".

  Johnson enjoyed a career-best campaign in 2023 despite the Bears going 7-10 and finishing bottom of the NFC North, being selected for the second All-Pro team.

  However, he did not make the league's annual list of the top 100 players, which is voted for by players and was released last week.

  Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill topped the list ahead of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won his second MVP award after also claiming the prize in 2019.

  Johnson was not among those to make the cut, leaving him to question the decision to vote in New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers – who suffered a season-ending injury in Game 1 – at number 92.

  "It's bull****. There ain't no way. I don't know how you make Pro Bowl, All-Pro and not [be] a Top 100 guy," Johnson said. 

  "I could've been 101 I guess, but goddamn, Aaron Rodgers didn't even play in the season and he was voted.

  "I mean, hey, everybody makes mistakes, it ain't just the media that do it. Players clearly, if they voted for it, they made some goddamn mistakes. 

  "But it is what it is. At the end of the day I know the truth and it's all right, I got some more for them."

  However, Johnson insists his omission will not serve as his primary motivation for 2024, with Chicago approaching the campaign with renewed hope after taking highly-rated quarterback Caleb Williams first overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.

  "It's disrespectful because I go out there, line up and I know receivers go out there and can't say that I'm not one of best players that they play against," Johnson said. 

  "Whatever it is, it happened. Doing it wouldn't have moved me to where I'm complacent, but just to see it… there ain't no way there are 100 guys who are better.

  "Especially guys who didn't play, who were hurt, played half, ain't no f***** way. Excuse my language. Ain't no way."