Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers talked about his NBA career and relationship with Anne de Paula in the ESPN cover story from May.

Through a common acquaintance, the two were introduced during a dinner in New York City in 2018, and Paula told the source that neither of them actually spoke much over the meal.

Until he stood up at the conclusion of the meal and she noticed how tall he was, she was unaware that he was a basketball player.

However, she claimed that evening marked the beginning of their “wonderful friendship.”

They became friends because of their common interests, the 26-year-old model told ESPN. They both loved soccer, spoke French, and had thoughts of establishing families in the future. They both left their homes as teenagers to follow their dreams in America.

How to Be a Father

The couple’s goal of starting a family was realized in September 2020 with the birth of their first child, Arthur Elijah de Paula Embiid. In typical Embiid flair, the athlete used comedy to share information on social media.

Both a black-and-white image of Embiid and his wife standing with her growing baby bump and a carousel carrying Arthur was released by the rapper. He jokingly mentioned starting a soccer team and questioned whether Arthur was the first of his 11 kids.

The NBA player recently spoke candidly with Marc Zumoff of NBC Sports Philadelphia on parenting and his first season following the birth of his child. Despite his regret over leaving home, he admitted that it was wonderful to watch his son develop every day and that being a parent was an amazing experience.

On Surmounting Challenges

It is difficult to believe that the player, who is 7 feet tall, once dreamed of playing volleyball. He had played volleyball for the majority of his youth. Embiid began playing basketball at the age of 15 after being moved by Hakeem Olajuwon’s grace and class on the court.

A year later, Embiid made the trip to the United States to join the NBA. He played and improved his talents throughout the ensuing years until being selected by Philadelphia in 2014. However, it was challenging to rise to the top even after being drafted.

He had to sit out the entire 2014–15 season due to complications from the initial foot operation he had to fix a broken navicular bone. He ultimately healed, though, and by the start of the following season, he had disproved everyone who had questioned him with his swift, beautiful footwork and rim protection.

He is a well-known NBA player nowadays.