Philadelphia 76ers All-Star center Joel Embiid is the subject of GQ Magazine's first digital cover, which is highlighted by "The Process" of dating life in the NBA. As the 24-year old star explains, there are plenty of challenges when it comes to finding the right one.
"You gotta do your background check," Embiid tells GQ's Clay Skipper. "You don't want to be that guy marrying a girl that someone else in the NBA has been with.... I'm sure some guys end up getting married to women that have been around. And maybe on the court they also get told"—here he lowers his voice to a whisper—"Hey, I fucked your wife.")
While Embiid didn't reveal to Skipper who he is currently dating, word has already gotten out that his girlfriend is Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Anne de Paula. The two had been a rumored couple for weeks now, but Sixers co-owner Michael Rubin spilled the beans last night when he shared a photo of the two kissing after Philly's 116-115 victory against the Orlando Magic.
In addition to his love life, Embiid also told GQ about how he dreamed to be an astronaut and president as a young kid growing up in Cameroon.
“[In] Cameroon, we don’t know shit about space,” Embiid said during his interview with GQ. “I don’t even know if there’s a Cameroonian astronaut. That’s what I wanted to become. I wanted to become president, and I wanted to become an astronaut. Because I was really good at math.”
You can check out the full digital cover story right here.