Joel Embiid Wife: Meet Anne de Paula and Explore Their Love Story

Joel Embiid and Anne de Paula’s relationship began with something fairly ordinary: a dinner with a mutual friend. There was no elaborate introduction or instant public romance. Instead, their connection developed through friendship, regular conversations and the discovery that their lives had more in common than they first realized.

The basketball star and Brazilian model eventually married on July 22, 2023, in Southampton, New York. By then, they were already parents to their son, Arthur Elijah, whom they welcomed in September 2020.

While many people discover de Paula through her marriage to Embiid, she had established a modeling career of her own before their wedding. Her background includes competitive soccer, international photo shoots and a childhood in Rio de Janeiro.

Here is a closer look at Joel Embiid’s wife, her life before they met and the relationship they built together.

Who Is Joel Embiid’s Wife?

Joel Embiid’s wife is Anne de Paula, a Brazilian model known for her work with Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.

Born on March 31, 1995, she grew up in Rio de Janeiro before pursuing opportunities abroad. Her professional life brought her into fashion and modeling, while Embiid’s basketball career took him from Cameroon to the United States.

Their backgrounds were different, but the experience of leaving home to pursue a demanding career became something they understood about each other.

De Paula is also a mother, a soccer enthusiast and someone who has spoken about wanting to improve life for her family. Those details offer a fuller picture of her than the familiar courtside photographs alone.

Anne de Paula Grew Up in Brazil

De Paula’s early life was shaped by Rio’s beach culture and her enthusiasm for sports.

She has described growing up close to the beach, where warm weather and an outdoor lifestyle were part of everyday life. Soccer was especially important to her, and she spent about six years playing as a goalkeeper.

Before modeling became her profession, she considered following her parents into healthcare. Her father is a doctor, and her mother worked as an X-ray technician.

That family background makes her eventual career choice an interesting turn. Medicine was a path she could imagine, but modeling gradually opened another possibility.

Her love of Brazil remained strong after she moved abroad. In interviews, she explained that leaving was about finding opportunities rather than losing affection for her home country.

Her Mother Encouraged Her to Try Modeling

De Paula did not grow up with modeling as her only ambition.

She has described herself as a tomboy who was comfortable playing soccer alongside boys. The move toward photo shoots came with encouragement from her mother, who saw a different opportunity for her daughter.

She began doing photo shoots around age 12, was introduced to an agency around 13 and signed a modeling contract at 14.

The change was gradual. Trying modeling did not mean she suddenly stopped enjoying sports. Instead, it introduced another side of her personality and gave her room to become comfortable in front of a camera.

That early support from her mother helped turn an unfamiliar activity into a professional direction.

Sports Illustrated Helped Raise Her Profile

A significant moment in de Paula’s career came through the 2017 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model search.

She won the fan vote and went on to become a rookie in the magazine’s 2018 issue. Her work with the publication included shoots in Anguilla, Nevis, Kenya and the Dominican Republic.

Those assignments gave her international exposure and placed her in settings far removed from a conventional studio.

One particularly memorable shoot took place in Kenya, where she was photographed close to a real lion. She later described the mixture of fear and excitement she felt during the experience.

The finished image may have looked composed, but her account offered a reminder of the nerves and trust that can sit behind a seemingly effortless photograph.

How Did Joel Embiid and Anne de Paula Meet?

Embiid and de Paula met through a mutual friend at a dinner in New York City in 2018.

According to her account, they did not speak very much during the meal. She also did not initially know that he was a professional basketball player.

That detail gives their first meeting an unexpectedly casual quality. She encountered him as someone at dinner, rather than approaching the evening with an established idea of his sporting reputation.

Their relationship developed afterward through frequent conversations. They began FaceTiming daily, giving the friendship time to grow before it became romantic.

For a couple whose careers could involve travel and demanding schedules, those regular calls provided a way to get to know each other beyond a single evening.

Their Friendship Became the Foundation

De Paula has described the beginning of their relationship as a friendship.

That is an important part of their story because it explains how the connection developed without needing to turn the first dinner into an exaggerated love-at-first-sight moment.

They discovered shared interests, including soccer and speaking French. Both also understood what it meant to leave their home countries as teenagers to work toward ambitious goals.

Those similarities gave them common ground, even though their professions looked quite different.

When discussing what attracted her to Embiid, de Paula emphasized his personality. Her account suggested that he caught her attention by behaving naturally, rather than relying on fame or an impressive introduction.

Anne de Paula Speaks Three Languages

De Paula speaks Portuguese, English and French.

Portuguese connects her to her Brazilian upbringing, while her other languages have been useful in an international life and career. French also became one of the things she shared with Embiid.

For a couple from different countries, discovering an unexpected common language can make getting acquainted feel a little easier.

Their connection was about more than language, of course. But it was another example of how they found familiar territory within lives shaped by different cultures.

It also reflects an aspect of de Paula’s identity that can be overlooked when attention centers only on her marriage or modeling photographs.

They Welcomed Son Arthur Elijah in 2020

Embiid and de Paula became parents in September 2020, when their son, Arthur Elijah, was born.

His arrival marked a major development in their relationship, almost three years before their wedding.

In a 2021 interview, de Paula spoke warmly about Embiid’s ability to motivate those around him. She described that quality as something he brought to his friendships, family relationships and life with Arthur.

Her comments offered a glimpse of the person she knew away from competition: someone who encouraged the people close to him to improve and believe in themselves.

It was a personal observation rather than a polished description of basketball success, which helped give it weight.

Their Wedding Took Place in Southampton

The couple married on July 22, 2023, during a ceremony in Southampton, New York.

Their wedding followed a relationship that had already included years of friendship, romance and parenthood. It was another milestone in a life they had been building together since meeting in 2018.

For readers searching for Joel Embiid’s wife, the key details are straightforward: Anne de Paula is his spouse, and their marriage took place in New York in the summer of 2023.

There is no need to add imagined vows or private conversations to make that occasion meaningful. Their established history already provides the context.

Her Athletic Interests Include Muay Thai

Soccer is not de Paula’s only sporting interest.

She began practicing Muay Thai as a teenager and spoke in earlier interviews about training regularly. Her interest in the martial art offered another side to a public image often associated with fashion and swimwear.

It also continued a pattern that began with her childhood goalkeeping days. Physical activity was part of her life before modeling became a profession.

Her comments about Muay Thai were playful, but they also challenged the assumption that a model’s appearance tells the whole story about her strength or athletic ability.

She Enjoys Cooking and Quiet Time at Home

Away from photo shoots and public events, de Paula has described enjoying a slower pace.

In an earlier interview, she talked about liking time at home, looking up recipes and trying different dishes. Truffle pasta was among the meals she named as a favorite.

These details make her background feel familiar. International travel and magazine work may be part of her career, but her idea of a good day has also included cooking, resting and staying in.

She has spoken about ambitions beyond modeling too, including investing and potentially creating a brand or clothing line. Those were goals she expressed, rather than proof of a business already launched.

Family Has Been Central to Her Ambitions

One recurring theme in de Paula’s interviews is her desire to help the people she loves.

She has discussed wanting to provide a better life for her family and use the opportunities available to her to support them. That motivation helps explain the personal importance of her career.

Modeling was not only about being photographed or appearing in a major publication. In her own account, it was also connected to financial opportunity and giving something back.

Her relationship with Embiid fits into a broader life story shaped by family, independence and work. She brought those priorities into the relationship rather than acquiring them through marriage.

A Life That Extends Beyond Basketball

Anne de Paula is part of Joel Embiid’s family story, but her identity extends well beyond being an NBA player’s wife.

She grew up playing goalkeeper in Brazil, explored modeling with her mother’s encouragement and built a career that took her around the world. She speaks three languages and has shared interests ranging from martial arts to cooking.

Her romance with Embiid began through friendship in 2018, grew into parenthood in 2020 and reached marriage in July 2023.

Together, those details tell a more complete story than a celebrity label can. Behind the wedding photographs is a couple who found common ground through conversation, shared interests and an understanding of what it takes to build a life far from where they began.