The Short Answer: Married to Anne de Paula
Yes — Joel Embiid is married. He and Anne de Paula married on July 22, 2023, in Southampton, New York. Embiid, born March 16, 1994, in Yaoundé, Cameroon, is the 76ers' franchise center — the 2023 NBA MVP, a perennial All-Star, and one of the league's most dominant big men.
De Paula is Brazilian — a model who has worked internationally — and the couple has been together since 2018. Their son, Arthur Elijah Embiid, was born in September 2020 — named after Embiid's younger brother Arthur, who died in a car accident in Cameroon in 2014.
As of October 2026, they have been married for three years — the MVP, the model, and the boy named for an angel.
The Wedding: July 22, 2023, in Southampton
Embiid and de Paula married on July 22, 2023, in Southampton, New York — the Hamptons enclave, all hydrangeas and ocean air. The wedding — elegant, intimate — came two months after Embiid's MVP coronation: the best player in basketball, marrying in the summer of his triumph.
The celebration — family from Cameroon and Brazil, NBA stars, the Philadelphia faithful in spirit — was the culmination of a five-year relationship: the couple who had their son in 2020, now married in 2023. Arthur Elijah — not yet three — was the ring bearer of hearts.
Three years on, the Southampton wedding remains the signature: the MVP summer, the Hamptons, the family.
Joel Embiid and Anne de Paula: Relationship Timeline
| When | What happened |
|---|---|
| 2018 | They meet and begin dating. Embiid — the rising 76ers star — connects with de Paula, the Brazilian model. |
| September 2020 | Son born. Arthur Elijah Embiid arrives — named for Embiid's late brother Arthur (d. 2014). |
| 2023 | MVP + wedding. Embiid wins the 2023 NBA MVP; marries de Paula on July 22 in Southampton. |
| 2023–2026 | Married life: as of October 2026, three years married, Arthur now six. |
The Arthur naming — for the brother Embiid lost at 20 — is the story's emotional core: the MVP who plays for the brother he lost, the son who carries the name forward. De Paula — the partner through it — understood the weight from the start.
Who Is Anne de Paula?
Anne de Paula is Brazilian — a model who has worked internationally, gracing campaigns and editorials. Her 2018–2026 chapter — the Embiid relationship, Arthur's birth, the Southampton wedding — has been the private anchor of the MVP's public life: the partner, the mother, the constant.
As of October 2026, three years married, de Paula remains the family's quiet center: the Brazilian model turned NBA wife and mother — with the grace the role demands.
Arthur Elijah: The Son Named for a Brother
Arthur Elijah Embiid — born September 2020, now six — carries the name of Embiid's younger brother Arthur, who died in a 2014 car accident in Cameroon when Embiid was 20. The naming — deliberate, loving — is the family's tribute: the brother, remembered in the son.
Embiid — who has spoken movingly about Arthur's death shaping him — plays, by his own account, for his brother: every MVP vote, every playoff run, for Arthur. The son's name makes the tribute permanent: Arthur Elijah, the next generation.
As of October 2026, the family — married three years, Arthur six — is the MVP's foundation: the reason behind the dominance.
Embiid's 2026: The MVP's Prime
Embiid's 2023–2026 run — the 2023 MVP, the scoring titles, the 76ers' contention — has been the prime of one of the game's great centers: the footwork, the shooting, the dominance. The Yaoundé kid — who started basketball at 15 — became the league's best player: the impossible made real.
As of October 2026, 32 years old and three years married, the MVP's window — the championship chase — is now: Philadelphia believes, and the belief starts with JoJo.
The Bigger Picture: For Arthur
Joel Embiid and Anne de Paula's story — 2018 to July 22, 2023, Southampton; Arthur Elijah, September 2020 — is the NBA's most moving family narrative: the MVP who plays for his late brother, the son who bears the name, the wife who holds it all. No marriage in basketball carries the weight — or the love — this one does.
As of October 2026, the answer to "who is Joel Embiid's wife" is Anne de Paula — his partner since 2018, his July 2023 bride, the mother of Arthur Elijah. For Arthur — always, for Arthur.
Yaoundé to the NBA: Embiid's Origin
Yaoundé, Cameroon — the 2010 basketball camp, the 15-year-old beginner — is where the Embiid story starts: the soccer kid, the volleyball player, who picked up basketball at 15 and was in America within two years. The ascent — Montverde Academy, Kansas (2013–2014), the 3rd overall pick (2014) — is the sport's most improbable: the teenager, the prodigy, the 76er.
Anne de Paula — the Brazilian model, the 2018 partner — met Embiid as the ascent peaked: the Process years, the stardom, the MVP chase. She knew the Cameroonian kid's story — the late start, the brother's death (2014), the drive — and became its co-author: the partner, the mother, the constant.
As of October 2026 — married three years, Arthur six — the Yaoundé origin is the family's myth: the 15-year-old beginner, now the MVP, the husband, the father. The Cameroon-to-Philly arc — the impossible — with de Paula beside him.
The 2023 MVP: The Coronation
The 2022–2023 season — the scoring title, the 33.1 points per game, the MVP — is Embiid's coronation: the Cameroonian, the 76er, the best player in basketball. The MVP race — Jokić, the narrative, the votes — ended with JoJo: the trophy, the tears, the mother (and de Paula) in the stands.
De Paula — the partner since 2018, Arthur's mother (2020) — was the MVP season's quiet force: the home, the support, the stability. The July 2023 wedding — two months after the MVP — was the coronation's coda: the best player, the bride, Southampton.
As of October 2026, the MVP — the 2023 trophy, the scoring titles — is the career's peak: the Yaoundé kid, validated. And de Paula — the 2018 partner, the 2023 bride — was there for the vote, the wedding, all of it.
Playing for Arthur: The Brother's Memory
Arthur Embiid — the younger brother, killed in a 2014 Cameroon car crash when Joel was 20 — is the career's ghost and guide: the MVP who plays for the brother he lost. The death — the grief, the guilt (Joel had urged Arthur to come to America) — shaped the man: the dominance, the joy, the tribute.
Arthur Elijah — the son, born September 2020, named for the uncle — is the memory made flesh: the brother, remembered in the boy. De Paula — who understood the weight from the start — co-authored the tribute: the name, the love, the legacy.
As of October 2026 — Arthur Elijah six, the MVP three years married — the tribute endures: every game, for Arthur. The brother, the son, the name — the Embiid family's eternal.
Philadelphia: The 76ers' 2026
Philadelphia — the Process, the boos, the love — is Embiid's basketball home: the 2014 draft, the injuries, the MVP, the contention. The 76ers — the franchise, the faithful — built around JoJo: the center, the star, the hope.
The 2024–2026 chapters — the playoff runs, the health battles, the championship chase — are the prime's test: the MVP, the window, now. De Paula and Arthur — the Southampton family — are the off-court foundation: the stability behind the stardom.
As of October 2026, the Philly story — the 12-year tenure, the MVP, the marriage — is the legend's arc: the Cameroonian, the 76er, the family man. The championship — the missing piece — is the remaining quest.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Joel Embiid's wife?
Anne de Paula — the Brazilian model. They married on July 22, 2023, in Southampton, New York.
When did Joel Embiid get married?
July 22, 2023, in Southampton, New York — two months after he won the 2023 NBA MVP.
Do Joel Embiid and Anne de Paula have kids?
Yes — one son, Arthur Elijah Embiid, born in September 2020.
Who is Arthur Embiid named after?
Embiid's younger brother Arthur, who died in a car accident in Cameroon in 2014 when Joel was 20.
Who is Anne de Paula?
A Brazilian model who has been with Embiid since 2018 — now his wife of three years and the mother of his son.
How long have Embiid and de Paula been together?
Since 2018 — eight years as of October 2026, including three married.
What team does Joel Embiid play for?
The Philadelphia 76ers — the 2023 NBA MVP and franchise center, born in Yaoundé, Cameroon.