Charles Barkley has been married to his wife, Maureen Blumhardt, for over three decades, and their union is blessed with one daughter, Christiana Barkley.
Charles and Maureen tied the nuptials in 1989 after they met in a Philadelphia-based restaurant in the late 1980s. Despite the fact that they come from different racial backgrounds, the couple’s relationship culminated in a marriage that has stood the test of time. Fans of the basketball player initially thought they wouldn’t last because of racism and the usual issues with celebrity marriages, but the duo proved them all wrong.
When was Charles Barkley’s Wife Born?
According to kept records, Maureen Blumhardt was born on the 15th of January 1960; this pegs her current age at 64. Maureen’s place of birth is reported to be Scottsdale, Arizona, in the United States. It goes without saying that she is an American by nationality, but her ethnicity is listed as Caucasian.
Despite being married to one of the greatest players to ever come out of the NBA, Maureen managed to keep the details of her family background concealed. As a result, her parents are not known, and it is not equally known if she is an only child or has siblings. However, we were meant to understand that she comes from a humble background.
Nothing has been said about Maureen Blumhardt’s early academic journey, but she achieved higher educational qualifications at a Pennsylvania-based private catholic institution called Villanova University. The quest for further studies led her to New York City, where she joined Columbia University’s School of Journalism. Though no one has mentioned Maureen’s course of study, the name of her alma mater indicates she studied Journalism.
How Did Maureen Blumhardt and Charles Barkley Meet?
Going by what we could sieve from past reports, Maureen Blumhardt was still doing her modeling promotions for Noblerex K-1 when she met Charles Barkley, who was then a basketball player with the Philadelphia 76ers.
The couple’s first meeting, which occurred during the late 1980s, took place in a Pennsylvania-based restaurant known as City Avenue. It was not love at first sight for the couple, as they only engaged in friendly conversation at their first meeting.
Coming from different ends of the racial divide, Maureen and her love interest Charles didn’t initially see dating as a viable option for them, but fate and providence obviously had other plans for the couple.
Their conversation in City Avenue restaurant led to a date that birthed a series of outings. Discovering that they had a lot in common, the couple continued going steady, and according to reports, they dated for a few years before deciding to take things to another level.
Maureen Blumhardt Became Charles Barkley’s Wife in 1989
Reports omitted to reveal when Charles Barkley popped the big question to his love interest, but we were told that the couple tied the connubial knot in February 1989.
Though Maureen Blumhardt’s husband was already a known name in the National Basketball Association, the couple decided to make their wedding a private affair. It was a court wedding held in a Philadelphian-based private courthouse, and according to reports, their guest list only accommodated family members and a few close friends.
Perhaps because it was a private ceremony, the public didn’t get updated with the fine details of the couple’s wedding, but some tidbits that filtered into the public space said the NBA player got very emotional at a point in the ceremony.
What Does Maureen Blumhardt Do for a Living?
Fresh from college, Maureen went to try her hands at modeling. According to several online sources, she did a handful of commercials for an exercise equipment company, advertising a range of body vibration machines known as Noblerex K-1.
After she recorded a good number of modeling gigs, Maureen Blumhardt decided to widen her horizon by trying out acting roles. However, the world of the performing arts proved to be a dead end for the aspiring actress as she failed in getting her big break.
Deciding to explore other career avenues, Maureen moved into the wheeling-dealing world of business. However, the kind of merchandise or services she offered has never been disclosed.
At a point in her life, she was employed as a legal aid, and after working in the field for a while, Maureen decided to up her game and become active as a philanthropic activist, strongly advocating for the rights of women. The mother of one obviously found her forte in advocacy, and with time, she joined the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation, where she assumed the role of one of their Lifetime Honorary members. The foundation is listed as a non-profit targeted at helping female folks in making fresh starts as well as taking control of their lives in a bid to achieve a turnaround.
Fresh Start Women’s Foundation provides underprivileged women with educational resources, including financial support. The foundation held a fund-raising event sometime in 2016 where they raised as much as $1.5 million; the money went to support their projects and objectives.
Who is Maureen Blumhardt’s Husband, Charles Barkley
Born on the 20th of February 1963, Charles Wade Barkley is the son of Frank and Charcey Glenn. C. The Leeds, Alabama-born star is African-American by ethnicity, but his nationality is obviously American.
From Leeds High School to Auburn College, Charles played both varsity and collegiate basketball until he got drafted into the National Basketball Association. The 6 feet 4 inches tall player was with the Houston Rockets when he retired, having won a total of 11 NBA All-Star honors in a career that spanned from 1987 to 1997. He was also named the 1993 MVP.
The former basketball superstar is also listed as a writer, actor, and television personality. His acting career saw him grace the screen in several movie roles, and he has written quite a few published books.
As a television personality, Maureen Blumhardt’s husband currently works as an analyst with TNT on their sports program, Inside the NBA. He works on the sports show alongside other retired basketball greats, including Shaquille O’Neal, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith.
At a point in his life, Charles dabbled into politics. An announcement came in 2008 declaring his interest in running for the office of Governor of Alabama come the 2014 elections. However, this particular ambition was erased in 2010 when the former player had a change of heart.
Maureen Blumhardt Seems To Have Toned Down Her Husband’s Expression of His Private Life in Public
Before he tied the nuptial knot with Maureen Blumhardt, Charles Barkley had always been vocal about his personal and professional life. However, marriage seemed to change him. Thus, one of America’s most famous NBA players of all time learned to be taciturn with talks about his marriage.
Charles can still be spotted online talking about a lot of things, but he hardly will mention his spouse, who obviously prefers to live a private life. Also, the mother of one hardly appears in public with her husband, and needless to say, she could easily pass in the streets without anybody recognizing her.
Maureen later started sharing images of her family members on Facebook, but her posts were quite sporadic. In October 2014, the Arizona native uploaded a photo where she was seen with Charles and their only child, Christiana Barkley. In that image, Maureen was sporting a floral dress with a beautiful blond hairstyle, while Christiana went for white wear and a messy bun. Charles looked relatively sharp in a brown-colored suit as the family of three posed for the camera flashing charming smiles.
Maureen Blumhardt’s next family photo appeared on Facebook in 2016, precisely in December. This time, the mother of one donned a black dress, and her daughter Christiana equally wore a black dress but with decorative stones in the form of embroidery.
In a more recent Facebook post, a close-up shot of a smiling Maureen Blumhardt was spotted. She was standing in the sun with strands of her golden hair falling all over her face.
All these Facebook uploads were the only things that gave insights into how Maureen’s marriage with Charles has been going, but several aspects of the couple’s union have remained under wraps to date.
The Couple’s Marriage Has Exceeded Three Decades
Considering the fact that Maureen Blumhardt and her spouse, Charles Barkley, came from the two extremes of the racial divide, many expected their marriage to crash within a short while. Not only racism fact but being a celebrity marriage was another factor that would have seen the end of their union.
However, the couple’s marriage succeeded in proving speculators wrong by going contrary to expectations. Even when Charles, who was playing for the 76ers, went on transfer to Phoenix and the family had to make some adjustments, they continued to thrive.
Unlike several other celebrities who claim that their marriages became a strain on their professional lives, Charles came up to claim the opposite in an interview session. According to the former NBA player, marriage to Maureen changed his life for the better, and it molded him into a better basketball player.
The couple’s union has endured for 33 long years and still counting, and from what is perceivable, they are heading for the “happily ever after” kind of union. Charles and Maureen made their home in Scottsdale, Arizona, residing in a choice property worth over $ 2.8 million; the house has been in the family since the later part of the 1990s.
Their Union Has Suffered some Controversies
According to several online sources, the knowledge that Charles Barkley and Maureen Blumhardt came from different races sparked an almighty controversy on racism.
Truth be told, racism was a major issue during the 1970s and 80s when the couple got married, and it came as no surprise that the people kicked against interracial marriage. To complicate the issue, mixed-race marriages were rather unpopular in Philadelphia, where the couple resided at that time.
However, Maureen and Charles managed to break the barrier of racial and ethnic differences by giving their hatters the silent treatment. To date, neither of the two deemed it necessary to respond to all the insults people heaped on them for daring to challenge what was then regarded as the norm.
With time, the disapproving eyes and harsh critics had to sheath their swords as the couple’s parents gave them their blessings and support to go ahead with their wedding.
Charles and Maureen Have One Daughter
- Date of Birth: December 1989
- Age: 34
- Mother: Maureen Blumhardt
- Career: Sales Assistant, director of writing, senior account manager
Charles Barkley and Maureen Blumhardt share just one biological child and have never deemed it necessary to adopt any.
Barely nine months after they tied the knot, the couple received their first and only child – a daughter who goes by the name Christiana Barkley; she arrived in December 1989.
According to Charles, he named his only child after a mall. In a discussion panel on the set of The Steam Room podcast, the father of one narrated how he visited a Delaware-based shopping center, Christiana Mall, and decided to name his daughter after it.
Growing up in her family mansion in Scottsdale, Christiana attended primary and secondary school there. She also passed through the same academic institutions as her mum – Villanova University and Columbia University.
There was a time it was rumored that Charles and Maureen later had a baby boy, but this has never been confirmed.
What Does Christiana Do for A Living?
After she graduated from college, Christiana, who is now 34, moved to New York, where she scored a job in the media company Turner Sports as a sales assistant. She currently works with a college consulting firm called the Koppelman Group in her capacity as the Director of Writing cum Senior Account Manager.
Just like her mother, Christiana is involved in philanthropy. Alongside her mother, she belongs to the Fresh Start Women’s Foundation. In fact, the two of them were spotted together at the foundation’s 2016 Fresh Start Fashion Gala, where they raised a huge sum of money for their projects.
Though Christiana can be located on Instagram @christiana0515, she prefers to keep her account private.
Maureen Blumhardt’s Daughter is a Married Woman
Christiana is married, and her husband has been identified as Ilya Hoffman. The duo tied the knot in March 2021 at the Scottsdale, Arizona-based Andaz Scottsdale Resort and Bungalows.
The guest list comprised 120 people who passed through the COVID-19 test as that period was the peak of the pandemic.
Interesting to note that Hoffman was never a sports fan and thus didn’t know Charles Barkley’s real identity when he started dating his daughter. Ilya said he only knew Charles with his movie role in Space Jam.
Inside Maureen Blumhardt and Charles Barkley’s Relationship With Their Daughter
It goes without saying that Maureen Blumhardt enjoys a close relationship with her only child. The only few pictures we saw the mother of one share on the internet space had Christiana in them. Maureen is obviously a caring mother.
On his own part, the former NBA superstar also dotes on his only daughter. He was on hand to perform all the marriage rites during her wedding with Ilya Hoffman, who is a Jew.
Though he was never a big fan of the Jewish rituals that were performed during his daughter’s wedding, Charles made sure to perform them all.
There was a particular rite called hora that required that the father of one be lifted up in a chair; Charles spoke in an interview session prior to the wedding where he revealed his effort at losing some weight so the wedding guests won’t have to find it difficult lifting him when the time comes. Besides, considering his 6 feet 6 inches height and 250 pounds body mass, it came as no surprise that he was worried. However, everything turned out fine, and the NBA legend said he had great fun.
Maureen Blumhardt is on Social Media
Though Maureen Blumhardt has never come across as someone that loves to expose the details of her personal life in the public arena, the Arizona native has managed to maintain a presence on social media. The mother of one favors the Twitter platform, where she can be located under the username @MaureenBarkley.
My husband consumed so much alcohol the past 2 nights that when he woke up today, his "Check Liver" light was illuminated!
— Maureen Barkley (@MaureenBarkley) September 22, 2018
Though she has never been vocal like her spouse, Maureen has been relatively active on her handle providing fans with exciting updates on her work. She has also made some comments about her husband.
