Joel Embiid welcomes the first of 11 planned children into the world

Joel Embiid and his girlfriend welcomed their first child on Thursday.

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers had NBA championship aspirations this season. But that never came to fruition, as the 76ers were the first team eliminated from the playoffs in the Orlando bubble after getting swept by the Boston Celtics. While getting sent home early stung for Embiid, he can take his mind off of it with some tremendous personal news.

On Thursday, Embiid revealed that he and his girlfriend, model Anne De Paula, welcomed their first child to the world. In his post, Embiid said that his son, Arthur Elijah De Paula Embiid, was his first of 11 planned children, because he’s looking to form his own family soccer team! But Embiid said that De Paula doesn’t appear to be sold on that idea just yet.

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Joel Embiid receives a tremendous offseason gift

The name Arthur carries significance for Embiid. Arthur was the name of his younger brother, who was tragically killed back in 2014 at the age of 13, just months after Embiid was drafted third overall by the Sixers in the NBA Draft.

This season, the 76ers were all-in on competing to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. However, the wheels truly fell off in the seeding games at Walt Disney World, after guard Ben Simmons suffered a left patella subluxation (dislocated knee cap) and had to undergo season-ending surgery to remove a loose body in his left knee. Even though Embiid averaged 30 points and 12.3 rebounds in the Boston series, it just wasn’t enough.

Now, the 76ers enter the 2020-21 season with uncertainty. Brett Brown was let go as head coach, and Tyronn Lue and Mike D’Antoni are the reported frontrunners to replace him. Then there are the constant trade rumors that could potentially involve Simmons or Embiid.

But that’s not of importance for Embiid right now. He’s using up his offseason to enjoy time with his son. Congratulations to the new parents!