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Joel Embiid names son after his brother Arthur, who was killed in a car crash

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid paid tribute to his late brother, Arthur, on Thursday. Embiid announced the birth of his son, whom Embiid named after his brother, who died in a car crash six years ago.

Embiid made the announcement on Instagram. He joked that he wanted to start a soccer team, and teased that baby Arthur could be the “first of 11 or more?”

Embiid also gave kudos to his girlfriend, Anne de Paula, for “being so strong and giving me the Greatest Gift our life can offer.”

Joel Embiid names newborn son after brother

In January, Embiid wrote a piece for The Players’ Tribune in which he revealed he considered walking away from basketball after Arthur’s death.

“I was only able to get back home for a few weeks for his funeral. When I came back to Philly. I kept rehabbing, trying to get better ... but I was in a really bad place. With Arthur gone, I felt like I had lost my purpose in life. I really just wanted to quit the game and go back home to Cameroon to be with my family. And, you know, it’s not like a movie where someone sat me dawn and had some conversation with me, or I picked up a basketball and all of the sudden everything was O.K.”

Arthur died in Cameroon in 2014 after he was struck by a truck while walking home from school. He was 13. His death occurred during Embiid’s rookie season, which he missed due to foot surgery. The injury, combined with Arthur’s death, made Embiid question whether he actually wanted to play basketball.

Embiid, obviously, decided to keep playing basketball and found a way to pay tribute to his brother along the way.

Joel Embiid watches from 76ers bench.
Joel Embiid paid tribute to his brother, Arthur, on Thursday. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

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