Joel Embiid needs to make his son, Arthur Embiid, proud.
Since he and his spouse, mannequin Anne de Paula, welcomed their first baby in September 2020, the Philadelphia 76ers ahead has undergone a shift in perspective.
“I would like [Arthur] to see me at my greatest, identical to I noticed my dad,” Joel shared in an ESPN interview in 2021. “I would like him to see his dad as the perfect participant on the planet.”
In accordance with Anne, her husband and son have a particular bond, to the purpose the place Arthur seems to be in tune together with his father bodily. In March 2021, Arthur “wakened crying hysterically, nearly like he had a nightmare,” across the identical time his dad acquired damage in a sport towards the Washington Wizards.
“They’re like greatest pals,” she defined in the identical interview. “When Arthur sees him, there is no such thing as a one else within the room. It’s the most lovely factor ever. It nearly felt like, with their connection, Arthur sensed one thing was happening.”
This is all the things to learn about Joel Embiid’s son, Arthur.
He was born in 2020
Joel and Anne welcomed their son Arthur Elijah De Paula Embiid on Sept. 17, 2020.
The skilled basketball participant introduced the non-public information on social media every week later and joked about making a sports activities staff of his personal.
“We’re so blessed and lucky to welcome our little boy on this household,” he wrote on Instagram. “First of 11 or extra? Attempting to persuade her however I’m not profitable to date. … however for actual I’m so excited for the long run and my life has a brand new that means.”
Joel additionally thanked his then-girlfriend, Anne, “for being so robust and giving me the Biggest Reward our life can supply.”
He is named after his late uncle
Joel’s youthful brother, Arthur, died on the age of 13 in 2014 after he was hit by a truck whereas strolling house from college of their native Cameroon, in line with a chunk the athlete wrote for The Gamers’ Tribune.
The deadly accident occurred in the course of the ahead’s rookie season in Philadelphia, and the loss led him to query his future within the sport. Over time, Joel discovered renewed goal in turning into a father and honored his late sibling in a heartfelt approach.
“What I keep in mind from him probably the most was how nice of an individual he was, even at his age,” Joel instructed ESPN in 2021. “He used to take stuff from the home and go assist individuals across the neighborhood. Individuals that did not have something.”
He continued, “Once I discovered [Anne was having a boy], I simply knew his first title was going to be Arthur.”
Since then, Joel has talked about how necessary the gesture continues to be for him. “Dropping my brother after which giving his title to my son meant rather a lot,” he shared in a 2023 press convention.
He is a supply of motivation for his father
When Joel gained his first Kia NBA Most Priceless Participant Award in 2023, he accepted the award in a ceremony earlier than his Philadelphia 76ers took on the Boston Celtics and Arthur joined him on the court docket as he delivered a transferring speech.
“My son is the rationale why I am actually sitting right here,” he defined to the press afterward. “Once I discovered we have been having a child, I simply keep in mind I used to be like, ‘I’ve acquired to be an excellent function mannequin, and I’ve acquired to set a very good instance.'”
Joel added, “I would like him to know that his dad not solely was fairly good, however he additionally labored onerous, and he went and took all the things he needed.”
He stole the present at his dad’s press convention
Arthur was readily available after his athletic father picked up a Sport One win towards the Brooklyn Nets within the first spherical of the Jap Convention playoffs in 2023.
The younger tyke sat on Joel’s lap as he held court docket with reporters within the post-game press convention. Arthur performed together with his miniature toy automobiles and tinkered with the microphone as Joel gently tried to maintain him settled.
His dad and mom stored their being pregnant personal
The general public solely grew to become conscious that Joel and Anne have been anticipating after they introduced Arthur’s start in September 2020.
The couple stored the information underneath wraps all through the COVID-19 pandemic, however Joel expressed doubts about enjoying the NBA season within the “bubble” resulting from security considerations for himself and his household.
“I do know myself, I do know I’m not going to place all people else in danger,” he mentioned, in line with ESPN. “However the query is, ‘Is all people else going to do the identical?’ And I certainly, simply being round this enterprise, I certainly don’t suppose so.”
“You do not need to be in a state of affairs the place you place your life [at] danger only for the cash,” he added (through Sixers Wire). “On the finish of the day, basketball is just not all that issues. I’ve acquired my household, I’ve acquired myself to look out for. In order that’s all I care about.”
He caught the eye of his dad throughout a sport
Arthur is Joel’s prime precedence, even throughout video games: In December 2023, throughout a sport towards the Atlanta Hawks, Joel took a second from his dominant efficiency to share a candy trade together with his son.
The then-MVP waved at Arthur, who was sitting courtside, and the teenager’s face lit up with a smile as he waved again.
He influenced his dad’s Olympic determination
Joel was amongst 12 gamers named to the U.S. basketball males’s nationwide staff for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
He was born in Cameroon and have become an American citizen in 2022, and whereas he’s additionally a French citizen, he selected to play for Workforce USA. This might be Joel’s first Olympics, and deciding which nation to characterize was troublesome.
“It was powerful. Clearly, I cherished all three choices, with my house nation [Cameroon], which I really like rather a lot. However I actually need to take part within the Olympics, that is been my aim and my dream,” he mentioned in 2023.
Joel elaborated, “You add that with the truth that my son is American, and I have been right here for such a very long time. I really feel like for the previous few years since he is been born, each determination has been made based mostly on household.”