Skip to main content

Leonardo Embiid and Anne de Paula tie the knot!

Leonardo Embiid and Anne de Paula tie the knot!

The pair tied the knot in a grandiose ceremony in Southampton, New York on July 22, 2023.

The model and the Philadelphia 76ers star met at a 2018 New York City dinner, introduced by a common acquaintance. Before getting romantically involved, they were just friends who FaceTimed every day.

Arthur Elijah, the couple’s first child, was born in September 2020.

“He just has this personality where he wants to motivate you,” de Paula said of Embiid in an interview with ESPN in 2021. He encourages everyone around him, including his loved ones and, most recently, Arthur, to reach our full potential. You’d be lucky to have someone like that in your life.

It would appear that de Paula has an identical impact on Embiid.



The NBA player took to Instagram to express his gratitude for everyone who had supported him despite his “African crаzy a–” and for letting him be himself. “I’ve trusted your process, you’ve trusted mine and it brought us to where we are.”

Who is the wife of Joel Embiid, then? For a complete biography of Anne de Paula, please continue reading.

Brazil is her homeland.

Paula Anne

Facebook page for Anne Paula

De Paula came into this world in Rio de Janeiro on March 31, 1995.

She told Sports Illustrated in 2018 that she grew up on the beach, where it’s warm all the time and you don’t wear many garments due to the climate.

Her dad is a doctor, and her mom is an X-ray tech. It was her intention to pursue a profession in medicine after they did until her modeling career took off.



While playing soccer, De Paula spent around six years as a goalie. She told Sports Illustrated that the sport represented “everything I wаnted to do.” And her enthusiasm for the sport remаins “very passionate” to this day.

You have to maintain neat fingernails for this profession, so it’s been a while since I played. In 2018, she spoke to Fox News about her desire to return to Brazil for a game if she had the time.

One of her roles is as a swimsuit model for SI.

The 2018 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Casting Call took place in PARAISO during Miami Swim Week, and Anne De Paula was there.

GETTY ALEXANDER TAMARGO

The Brazilian model first appeared on SI Swimsuit in 2017 as a contestant, then in 2018 she made her debut as a rookie after winning the public vote. With locations including the Dominican Republic, Anguilla, Nevis, and Kenya, she has made four appearances in the yearly issue.



She was seen in close proximity to a live lion during her 2019 shoot in Kenya. “What an incredible, terrifying, and bizarre ordeal,” she captioned her Instagram post. “I was freaking out inside, even tho it took @yutsai88 2min to make this picture happen.”

The self-proclaimed tomboy and soccer player’s mom was the one who suggested she try modeling. At twelve years old, De Paula had her first photo shoot. By fourteen years old, she had signed a modeling contract.

Sports were fun, but I also like being this frilly self. In school, I was not well-liked. “I failed miserably with the boys,” she said to Fox News. Being the playful girl that I was, they never treated me like a girl. When I was thirteen years old, my mother sent me to an agency, and from then on, I just kept taking pictures. It was her who drew me in, then!



She currently focuses on modeling as her career, but she aspires to build her own business and assist her family “lead a better life” in the future.

I left my nation not because I dislike it, but because of the chances here. “But the people I love are the reason I do everything,” she told SI in 2019. I wish to provide a home for my loved ones. Giving my all to the people I care about and seeing them smile is my number one priority. What I really want to do with my life after modeling is create my own business and invest. One possibility is to launch my own clothing line or brand; I’d love to let others in on my passions.

Her command of three languages is impressive.



Embiid and DePaula’s Joel

Facebook page for Anne Paula

The more time de Paula and Embiid spent together, the more they discovered they shared. Embiid, who is originally from Cameroon but started his basketball career in the US as a Kansas Jayhawk, and the other is a French speaker who loves soccer both left their home countries as youngsters to follow their goals.

De Paula is fluent in French, English, and Portuguese.

She is a Muay Thai practitioner.

As part of Miami Swim Week 2019, Joel Embiid and Anne de Palma attend the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show.

GETTY ALEXANDER TAMARGO

“I can kιck your a–, because I do Muay Thai,” de Paula stated with a laugh during her appearance with Fox News. I am surely not as delicate as I appear to be. She began training for the sport when she was a teenager and continued to do so three times weekly as of 2017.



Her sеcrеt love is in the kitchen, and her go-to dish is truffle pasta. “I prefer to keep to myself. She told SI in 2017 that she loves to stay home and sleep all day if she can. Staying home is my preference if given the option. The internet is a treasure trove of recipes, and I love to experiment in the kitchen.

Her body art features two ink-covered pieces.

Paula Anne

Facebook page for Anne Paula

There are two tattoos on De Paula. In addition to a tattoo that says “endless,” the word “blessed” is inscribed on the inside of her left wrist.

When asked about the blessed one, she told SI in 2017 that she holds them in high regard.

Anne De Paula was introduced to Joel Embiid by a mutual acquaintance.



Instagram account belonging to Joel Hemid

They “started off as a beautiful friendship,” the model said to ESPN in 2021 about her relationship with Embiid. In 2018, they crossed paths at a New York City dinner hosted by a mutual acquaintance, though de Paula doesn’t remember them chatting much at the table. Until the 7’0″ Cameroonian got up from his seat after supper, she had no idea Embiid played basketball.

According to her 2019 interview with Maxim, she said that she is “never looking for anything when I am single,” thus people find it “not easy” to get her attention. However, she did sаy that Embiid caught her eye by “just being himself.”

Additionally, she mentioned that she never tells a person she’s interested in them, and she said, “my man had to figure it out.”



De Paula first crossed paths with Danny O’Donoghue, star of The Script, in the 2014 music video for “No Good in Goodbye.” They dated for four years before de Paula began dating Embiid.

A son was born to her and Embiid in 2020.

On Instagram, Anne De Paula poses with Joel Embiid and the couple’s son.

Arthur Elijah de Paula Embiid, De Paula and Embiid’s first child, was born on September 17, 2020. Arthur, Embiid’s younger brother, was killed in a vehicle crаsh in Cameroon in 2014 when he was 13 years old. Their baby is named for him.

“We are so blessed and fortunate to welcome our little boy in this family,” Embiid said on social media to announce the birth of his kid. To start with, do you need eleven or more? Still haven’t succeeded in persuading her. I’m genuinely thrilled about the future and my life has taken on a new purpose, even though I’m merely attempting to assemble a soccer squad. Hats off to @annedepaula_ for showing such strength and bestowing upon me the greatest gift that this world has to give.



In 2021, the model spoke to ESPN about the strong relationship between her son and her partner. Arthur “woke up crying hysterically, almost like he had a nightmare” after suffering a terrible ιnjury in a March game that year against the Washingtоn Wizards, which happened around the same time as his dad’s ιnjury.

“They are like best friends,” she said. No one else is in the room when Arthur sees him. Nothing has ever been more stunning than it. It was as if Arthur could feel something was off due to their bond.

The sight of his dad working diligently is not new to Arthur. Arthur yelled out for his dad in February 2022, as Embiid was three questions into a press conference. The NBA star was overjoyed to share the spotlight with his son Arthur, so he interrupted the game to put Arthur on his lap.



This is a blessing, Embiid told the Philadelphia Inquirer. You should never take this place for granted since you come here so often. I’m making an effort to savor every moment of it, and it’s really meaningful to me to have my family here with Arthur; after all, they are the reason I’m here and doing so well.

Embiid was honored as the season’s MVP in May 2023 during a pre-game ceremony, and he spoke about his love for his son again. The youngster leaped onto the field as soon as the NBA player brought up Arthur in his speech, and the player promptly picked him up.

“To be honest, he’s the driving force behind my presence here,” the athlete stated. Being a father altered the course of my life; I simply hoped to provide a good example for him, and I’m grateful he could join us. Also, my fiancée plays a significant role.



In terms of Embiid’s career, she is on board.

The “Players Party” (PHILLIP FARAONE/GETTY) is where Joel Embiid and Anne de Paula are seen.

De Paula told Maxim, “My man is my crush all day, every day.” in response to Maxim’s question about her celebrity crush. How about her go-to sports team and player? Without bringing up the 76ers, the answer was quite clear: “If you know you know.”

The volume of her deeds is equal to that of her words. According to USA Today, de Paula consoled an obviously distraught Embiid in 2019 following the Philadelphia 76ers’ NBA playoff loss to the Toronto Raptors in game seven. Embiid even wiped away his tears before receiving an embrace from de Paula.

Embiid set a new career best with 70 points in a January 2024 game against the Spurs of San Antonio. Posts about her husband on Instagram were a display of De Paula’s pride.



Going on adventures is her favorite pastime.

Embiid and DePaula’s Joel

Instagram account belonging to Joel Hemid

Their roots may be in Philadelphia, but that hasn’t stopped the couple from seeing the globe. Along with her “love” for the Maldives, the model often shares Instagram images about her trips there. She and Embiid have even been to China to see the Great Wall.

With the caption “Enjoying life with M’lady with an amazing view,” Embiid posted a 2019 snapshot of himself and de Paula in front of the famous tower.

Fashion model Paula de Paula has been all around the globe for her work with Sports Illustrated. While residing in New York City, she traveled to destinations such as Mexico, Italy, Miami, Paris, and London.

They tied the knot in July 2023.



They tied the knot on July 22, 2023, in Southampton, New York. Before making their way to the reception location, Embiid and de Paula exchanged vows in a church. Meek Mill and Brian McKnight performed throughout the lavish ceremony, while de Paula changed into two different dresses.