Joel Embiid Wants Son to Play a Sport Other than His – More about Arthur Embiid

NBA superstar Joel Embiid is one of the most talented l players currently on the NBA circuit but does not want his basketball genes to be hereditary. The staunch Real Madrid FC supporter hopes his son will become a soccer player.

Embiid shares a son, Arthur, with his Brazilian girlfriend, Anne de Paula. The duo has been together since 2018, and they welcomed their son two years after they began their relationship. The son is named after the late brother of Embiid.

Embiid was born in Cameroon, a soccer-mad country; hence it is not completely surprising that he would be fond of the sport. However, with the amount of talent he has on the basketball court, where he has broken many records, some would have expected him to root for his son to follow in his footsteps.

Joel Embiid's Family Started as a "Beautiful Friendship"

Embiid and De Paula began seeing each other in 2018 after their friend introduced them. Their first encounter was at a dinner in New York, and it got off to a chilled yet awkward start.

De Paula recalled that they did not talk much on the night, and she admitted that she didn't even know he was a basketball player. Still, instead of the night being the beginning of their romantic relationship, for de Paula, it signaled the dawn of a "beautiful friendship."

However, the duo used to FaceTime each other every day until they eventually started dating. The 27-year-old model explained that they had a strong connection due to having a lot of things in common, which include their interest in soccer, being French speakers, and being eager to start a family someday.

Joel Embiid Names Son after His Late Brother Arthur

On September 25, 2020, the Cameroonian native and his girlfriend announced the birth of their son via his Instagram account. The post welcomed his son and showered him with much love. Embiid comically added that this was the first of 11, so he could have enough to make a soccer team.

Besides paying tribute to De Paula for her strength throughout the process, the post also revealed the name they had given to their son. They named him Arthur as a dedication to his late brother, who lost his life in a car accident in 2014. The rest of the post read:

"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. Kudos to @annedepaula_ for being so strong and giving me the Greatest Gift life can offer."

Joel Embiid as a Father

According to Embiid, being a father has been an excellent experience for him, and he claims that it has also contributed to him playing better on the court. His impressive numbers back up that claim since the birth of his son, which saw him being voted MVP runner-up in 2021. He spoke about his experience as a dad, saying:

“I’m kind of bummed about not being home every single day. I miss them a lot when I’m on the road, but it’s been great. Just watching him grow every single day makes me better. I think that’s also part of me being better this year."

While in conversation with Mike Missanelli in 2022, the podcast host asked if Joel Embiid would like to have his son follow in his footsteps by playing basketball. Embiid responded humbly, saying that he would not force his son to play basketball or any other sport except soccer.

He even confirmed that he already has soccer balls around the house, so soccer training has begun for the two-year-old aspiring soccer star. With Brazilian flamboyant skills and Cameroonian physical strength embedded in him through his roots, his path to soccer stardom might already be set in stone.