Even if you’re not a 76ers fan, it’s hard to not notice Joel Embiid on the basketball court! The 7-foot center dominates the court and is a regular on the All-Star team. But what about off the court? If you want to learn more about his Joel Embiid’s Brazilian model girlfriend, you’re in the right place!
Read on to learn more about the special lady in Embiid’s life, Anne de Paula.
Who Is Anne de Paula?
Anne was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1995. She grew up in a favela in Rio and was very much a tomboy who excelled at soccer. From the ages of 8 to 13, she played soccer for her school but gave that up when she started modeling at age 13.
She was reportedly reluctant to be in front of the camera. But after some encouragement from her mother, she grew comfortable with posing and being photographed. Before dating Embiid, Anne was reported to have dated Irish rock star Danny O’Donoghue for three years.
Anne has a large Instagram following and loves to post selfies and behind-the-scenes photos of her SI swimsuit photoshoots. She says that her guilty pleasures are Shake Shack and Pao de Queijo, which is Brazilian cheese bread.
Modeling Career
Anne’s mom was approached by an agent and convinced her to do a photoshoot, even though she was reluctant to participate. Her mom finally convinced her to give it a shot, and the rest is history.
When she was 22, she entered the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model search in 2017, where she posed in body paint.
She won the fan vote, becoming a 2018 SI Swimsuit rookie. Since then, she has posed several more times in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue and has been photographed with models like Kate Upton and Ashley Graham.
One of her most memorable shoots was in Kenya where she was photographed just feet from a lion. She also identified the ability to visit a local village and get to know the locals in Kenya as a special part of that trip.
Anne and Joel’s Relationship
Anne and Joel met in 2018 through a mutual friend. They were attending a dinner together in New York City, but didn’t even talk to each other much that night. Anne later admitted that she didn’t even know he was a basketball player.
They didn’t start dating right away, but instead were friends first. They FaceTimed every day and bonded over their shared love of soccer, speaking French, and the desire to start a family someday.
Anne traveled to Chins for the Sixers’ preseason games in 2018 and they were first seen in public in October 2018. She was also at their home opener in 2018. Finally, on Valentine’s Day 2019, Anne made their relationship Instagram official with a tribute to Joel on her Instagram account. T
Are Anne and Joel Married?
Although they’ve been dating since 2018, Anne de Paula is still only Joel Embiid’s girlfriend. They have not yet gotten married.
There has been some fuel for rumors of their engagement, though, such as an Instagram post of the two in China where it appears she’s wearing a ring on her left hand. Internet sleuths say that it’s really on her right hand, as the camera is flipped around.
The Sixers owner, Michael Rubin, also trolled them in 2019 with a photo of the two kissing after a game, with a caption of “congrats on your engagement!!!!!!”. Despite all of these rumors, Anne and Joel are not married.
They have done quite a bit of traveling over the past three years. That includes the aforementioned trip to China and a vacation in the Maldives. Anne also gave Joel a dog for his birthday. Sadly, the dog passed away in October 2020 after a freak elevator accident.
In an interview with Maxim, Anne said that Embiid caught her attention by just being himself. She was also impressed by his love of soccer and speaking French. She said that a man’s smile, accent, and being gentle and polite is what turns her on the most.
Baby Embiid
On September 17, 2020, Anne gave birth to her first child with Embiid, a baby boy named Arthur Elijah De Paula Embiid. He weighed 8.8 lbs. Joel shared photos of him and the newborn on Instagram with a caption that really emphasizes his desire for a big family:
“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 and my life has a new meaning.
“Kudos to @annedepaula_ for being so strong and giving me the Greatest Gift our life can offer.”
So far, Anne and Joel have kept baby Arthur’s face under wraps, only posting photos where you can’t see his face, photos of his hands, or a photo where a sticker is covering his face.
Are Wedding Bells in Their Future?
So, are there wedding bells in the future for Joel Embiid and his girlfriend, Anne De Paula? No one knows, but they seem pretty happy with their new baby and the Sixers’ successful season.
Anne is in the 2021 SW Swimsuit calendar. Unbeknownst to most people, however, she was nearly three months pregnant with baby Arthur at the time. Since then, she’s been enjoying being a mom, spending Mother’s Day with her own mother for the first time in two years, and cheering on Joel from the stands.
Want marriage advice from NBA stars? Listen to what Dwayne Wade has to say.
And, if you liked learning about Anne and Joel and their relationship, be sure to check out some of our other celebrity stories.
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