Wife Gives Away Joel Embiid’s Whereabouts During 76ers Star’s Injury Recovery

Philadelphia 76ers’ Joel Embiid has had two injury-ravaged seasons back-to-back. Even before the 2024-25 campaign came to a premature end after a left knee surgery, Embiid had been grappling with a surprising health hurdle: Bell’s palsy. Diagnosed during the 2024 playoffs, the neurological condition affected the left side of his face, causing blurred vision, dry eye, and facial weakness. Still, he powered through, putting up a career‑high 50 points in a Game 3 win over the Knicks, the defiance shone through, “My left side of my face, my mouth and my eye… It’s been tough. But I’m not a quitter.”

Now, a season ahead, fans will be hoping that the 2023 MVP can remain fit while leading a roster that has seen the addition of another potential superstar in VJ Edgecombe. Reports suggest that Embiid will be fit and ready for the 76ers’ training camp, and the 31-year-old appears to be in the middle of a quiet offseason during which he has remained focused on his rehabilitation.

And while social media updates have been scarce, his wife Anne de Paula recently spilled the beans. She posted multiple Instagram stories from a seemingly ongoing family vacation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The family can be seen enjoying aboard a ship in Anne’s hometown.

“No filter needed. Home sweet home,” she wrote on the first picture with the coastline in the background. The second story featured a clip of the ship sailing through the ocean, with Brazil’s coastline once again visible in the background. “Winter in Rio looks like this,” de Paula was clearly enjoying the weather. Embiid, along with his children, Arthur and Ara, seem to be having a spectacular time alright.

The third clip showed the family out spotting whales, effectively confirming the reason behind the lack of updates on Embiid’s whereabouts of late. He’s now been off the court for months, since the Philadelphia 76ers shut him down in late February 2025 after he was deemed “medically unable to play,” as the team decided to focus entirely on treating and rehabilitating his left knee injury.

In the weeks that followed, Embiid underwent successful arthroscopic surgery after which he was set to be re-evaluated in six weeks. That means he’s been in recovery mode for eight months now since he first had meniscus surgery back in February 2024. By then, he had played19 games, where he averaged 23.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.

The timing of Embiid’s surgery has not been without criticism. Many analysts questioned why Philadelphia delayed the decision, effectively wiping out his season instead of giving him a chance at a more structured comeback. Meanwhile, the 76ers have had another quiet offseason, clearly still committed to The Process. They have added younger pieces apart from the marque draftee, with Jabari Walker and Dominick Barlow joining on two-way contracts before the signing of Trendon Watford.

Philadelphia continues to rely on injury-prone superstars

This conflict is sharpened by the Sixers’ precarious financial outlook. A recent Bleacher Report ranking placed Philadelphia’s salary cap situation as the worst in the NBA. The franchise is pinned between hefty contracts, limited draft capital, and the risk of its two priciest stars, Embiid and Paul George spending more time on the injury list than on the floor.

While Tyrese Maxey’s growth and the arrivals of Jared McCain and VJ Edgecombe offer optimism, the Sixers’ ability to compete in 2025–26 rests heavily on whether Embiid and George can stay healthy. That uncertainty makes Embiid’s rehab not just a medical update, but a financial storyline.

For Philadelphia, the margin of error is shrinking. Daryl Morey’s front office bet big on Embiid as the centerpiece of their championship window, but repeated injuries and delayed recovery timelines put pressure on every roster move. Critics argue that by postponing surgery until April 2025, the Sixers compromised both the season’s competitiveness and their longer-term planning.

In effect, Anne de Paula’s breezy Rio posts highlight a double-edged truth: while Embiid heals at his own pace surrounded by family, the Sixers are left wrestling with a reality where their financial future is tied to a body that has proven both brilliant and fragile. Add that to Paul George’s consistent injury concerns as well, and we have a roster that might be too delicate to actually succeed.