Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid is one of the tallest players in the NBA. The big fella is 7 feet tall which has led some fans to question how tall his girlfriend Anne de Paula is.
Here’s the answer to that, plus a few other things you probably didn’t know about “The Process” and the Sports IIlustarted swimsuit model.
Anne de Palma and Joel Embiid attend the 2019 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show | Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated
De Paula didn’t know who Embiid was the first time they met
Embiid and de Paula met during a dinner party for a mutual friend in 2018. The model had no idea who Embiid was at the time but learned they had a few things in common such as being fluent in French and having a love for the game of soccer.
As ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported: “They just happened to attend the same dinner with a mutual friend in 2018. And as [de Paula] remembers it, neither of them really said much during dinner. She didn’t even realize he was a basketball player until he stood up at the end of the meal and she saw how tall he was. They both loved soccer, both spoke French, and both wanted a family more than anything. It started off as a beautiful friendship.”
Eventually, their friendship evolved and they’ve been together ever since.
How much taller is Embiid than his girlfriend?
Joel Embiid and Anne de Paula pose on the carpet together at the “Players Party” | Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Fanatics
Embiid was born on March 16, 1994, in Yaoundé, Cameroon to parents Thomas and Christine. As a child, he played volleyball but got into basketball when he was a teenager. The athlete attended a basketball camp in the U.S. before enrolling at the University of Kansas. He was drafted by the Sixers third overall in the 2014 NBA Draft.
De Paula and Embiid are just over a year apart in age as she was born on March 31, 1995, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She won the title of Miss Grand International Brazil in 2014 and began modeling full-time after that. She worked for a number of brands including L’Oreal Paris and has modeled for several Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issues.
Although they are close in age, they have a big height difference. As mentioned Embiid stands at 7 feet while de Paula stands at 5 feet and 9 inches, according to Wilhelmina.
How many children they have
Embiid and de Paula have one child together.
Their son was born in September 2020. The couple named him Arthur after the basketball star’s late brother.
Embiid’s sibling died on Oct. 16, 2014, when he was struck by a truck while walking home from school. Arthur was just 13 years old.
His death occurred just a few months after Embiid was drafted and he contemplated retiring then before deciding to continue playing and pay tribute to his brother. He eventually launched “In Memory of Arthur,” a foundation that helps Philadelphia’s non-profit organizations.