Who is Joel Embiid's wife Anna de Paula? 76ers star announces birth of baby boy

On Thursday, Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid announced the birth of his first child – Arthur Elijah De Paula Embiid – with his longtime girlfriend Anne de Paula. "We are so blessed and fortunate to welcome our little boy in this family," Embiid wrote on Instagram and Twitter, sharing an adorable photo of himself holding Arthur. The second photo Embiid shared was from a pregnancy photo shoot which he and de Paula posed for. 

Arthur Elijah De Paula Embiid 👶

We are so blessed and fortunate to welcome our little boy in this family. First of 11 or more? Trying to convince her but I’m not winning so far. I’m just trying to build a soccer team but for real I’m so excited for the future #GodIsGreat pic.twitter.com/eZaUnx90oo

— Joel “Troel” Embiid (@JoelEmbiid)

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Who is Joel Embiid's wife Anne de Paula?

While Embiid and Anne have been dating since 2018, the couple is yet to tie the knot. Rumours of their involvement started in October 2018, shortly after Embiid did a cover story with GQ. In the interview, he discussed some aspects of his love life. After the article, the mystery girlfriend Embiid was referring to was assumed to be Anne de Paula.

Early that month, the pair were also spotted together in China for the NBA China Games that year. Their relationship was confirmed by 76ers owner Michael Rubin, who posted a photo of them kissing on Instagram. "What a lovely couple!!!!! Congrats on your engagement!!!!!" Rubin wrote. 

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#HereTheyCome@JoelEmbiid & @BenSimmons25 arrive for @sixers ahead of #NBAChinaGames! pic.twitter.com/Fybkoo7aNt

— NBA (@NBA)

Anne, 25, is a Sports Illustrated swimwear model. She was born in Rio de Janeiro but also lived in Miami, Florida. Represented by the Wilhelmina modelling agency, she was discovered as a model in 2014. In his GQ interview, Embiid had revealed that he had run a background check on her, as he didn't want to date or marry a girl that "someone else in the NBA has been with".

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Joel Embiid baby announcement: Joel Embiid son named after 76ers star's late brother

The Cameroon native announced the birth on both Instagram and Twitter, while he added more humour in the Instagram post. "First of 11 or more? Trying to convince her but I'm not winning so far," Embiid wrote, adding that all he wants to do is build a soccer team. He tagged Anne de Paula, stating that she's being extremely strong and gave him the greatest gift life can offer. According to reports, Arthur is named after the 26-year-old centre's late brother. Embiid's brother passed away in 2014 when he was only 13. His death came months after Embiid was selected as the No. 3 overall pick during the 2014 NBA Draft. 

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(Image credits: Joel Embiid Twitter)