Mario Banchero | Married Life, Career And Children

Mario Banchero, the father of Orlando Magic power forward Paolo Banchero, is a former NCAA football player who is currently a successful businessman. In addition, Mario has been married for a long time to Rhonda Smith Banchero, a former WNBA and collegiate basketball player.

The Banchero patriarch Mario may be eclipsed in the spotlight at the moment by the up-and-coming NBA player Paolo and the former NCAA champion Rhonda, but Mario was also a highly accomplished athlete in his day.

Nevertheless, he decided to end his playing career, and he is currently occupied with raising his kids and running a respectably successful business.

Where Was Mario Banchero Born? He Is From Seattle, Washington.

Mario Banchero, the father of Paolo Banchero and Rhonda’s spouse, was born on April 16, 1974. Although the actual location of Banchero’s birth is unknown, he states that he was raised in Seattle, Washington. He has also lived in the area for a very long period.

Mario never fails to praise and mention his father, but he has only spoken about his mother on Facebook a few times, most recently in June 2017.

By ethnicity, Mario Banchero is Italian, and his son is Italian as well.

Italian is the major ethnicity of Mario. His forefathers were from the country’s north. At the turn of the 20th century, his great grandparents left Italy to travel to the US (1900). They were farmers and coal miners in Black Diamond in their native country.

Mario Banchero, a native of Seattle, Washington, and his father. However, Facebook Banchero’s great-grandfather never became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Paolo, Mario’s first son, was granted Italian citizenship as a result. In February 2020, he obtained Italian citizenship.

Regarding the circumstance, Rhonda’s spouse remarked,

“A few years ago, they (the Italian Basketball Federation) reached out regarding the possibility.”

Mario completed the form after they approached him, and Paolo eventually obtained Italian citizenship.

Mario attended the same college and school as his wife, Rhonda Smith Banchero.

When Mario Banchero and Rhonda Smith Banchero were both athletes at the University of Washington, they got married.

Rhonda was a senior at the time, and it’s interesting to note that she and Mario, her future husband, grew up a few blocks apart. In addition, despite going to the same school, they never had the opportunity to interact.

In response to that, Rhonda once stated in an interview,

“He was a late bloomer, so I must have passed him by.”

Banchero Wed a Well-Known Sportsman

As previously indicated, Rhonda, Mario’s wife, was a standout basketball player.

She played basketball for the Washington Huskies women’s basketball team while attending college. In actuality, Rhonda had a solid reputation for hitting a number of milestones among coaches and fans at the time. Mario’s bride finished her collegiate career with 2,948 points and 803 rebounds.

Rhonda was also selected in the third round of the 2000 WNBA draft, and she went on to play professionally in the American Basketball League and abroad.

Banchero’s wife gave up a professional sports career a long time ago, but she now dedicates her time to serving the greater good. It appears that Rhonda works for a nonprofit that assists the homeless. She also addresses mental health issues and addiction concurrently.

Mario Banchero Consider Some Things Before Asking His Wife, Rhonda

The narrative of Mario and Rhonda’s marriage began in the late nineties. Mario most likely proposed to Rhonda in February of 1999, when that year passed.

In his 20th wedding anniversary video, Mario disclosed that he borrowed a page from Fox’s comedy TV program for the proposal. He claimed that the way Martin, the show’s title character, proposed to Gina served as inspiration.

At the time, Mike was employed close to Seattle’s Green Lake. He assumed that this would be the location of his marriage proposal to Rhonda.

It seems that his father proposed to his mother by the lake as well.

Rhonda’s parents were anticipating seeing Mario and his parents on the day when Mario proposed to her. The Seattle native had to wait until the evening to join the conference, though, because he was employed at Green Lake. Mario decided to finally approach Rhonda by the lake after finishing the task.

The Washington native then informed the Husky Hall of Fame in 2004 that Rhonda needed to come over to the lake and pick him up since his car wouldn’t start.

Rhonda nodded, and the two of them set out to explore Green Lake on foot. And eventually, without Rhonda’s knowledge, one of Banchero’s pals decided to give him flowers. Mario had prepared for it in advance.

Banchero Made A Very Spontaneous Proposal To Rhonda

Mario, an Italian grandpa’s grandson, seemed to want everything available to him for the proposal during his conversation with his future bride. And a few days before to this, he had contacted his brother and a few pals for assistance.

The plan called for background music performed by Mario’s guitarist friend, which again sounded unexpected to Rhonda. The college football player turned businessman removed the ring from his pocket as soon as the music started, and the rest is history.

Mario, who is currently 48 years old, wed Rhonda in July 1999.

Mario Banchero Paolo Banchero, son of an NBA player

Following their marriage, Mario and Rhonda welcomed three children into their family. The Banchero couple has a daughter named Mia and another son named Lio in addition to Paolo. Paolo, their NBA player son, is older than the previous two.

Paolo, the first child of Mario and Rhonda, is six feet ten inches tall and the number five player for the Orlando Magic.

Given that Mario and his spouse Rhonda were athletes in their earlier years, it makes sense that they had a significant impact on and helped their son Paolo in his profession.

But in his talks, Paolo has emphasized that his mother Rhonda’s rigor and her prior athletic achievements were major factors in enabling his career to reach this point.

Paolo, the first child of Mario and his wife, started as a freshman quarterback at O’Dea High School, where his father was a teacher. But later on, he switched from football to basketball as his career.

Paolo, the son of Banchero, was also eligible to play for Italy.

As previously said, the Italian Basketball Federation recruited him for Italy’s EuroBasket qualifying matches in 2020 after he became an Italian citizen in February at the age of 17. But Mario’s oldest son decided not to participate.

Paolo did, however, state that he hopes to represent the Azzurri in future international tournaments. The 19-year-old power forward still wears the Italian flag on his social media accounts and is always proud of his father’s ancestry.

Paolo, the oldest son of Mario and Rhonda, surprised everyone in June 2022 by being selected first overall by the Orlando Magic. Paolo Banchero, Banchero’s son, led the Duke University basketball team in North Carolina as their best player.

Mario, Other Kids Love Sports

Mia, the daughter of Rhonda, the former WNBA champion, and her spouse Mario is likewise unusually tall for her age. At the age of 17, she had already attained a height of five feet and ten inches. Mia, who plays soccer as a defensive midfielder for Reigh Academy and Holy Names Academy in Seattle, Washington, is very athletic.

Lio, Mario’s other kid, is presently enrolled at O’Dea, his father’s former high school, and is expected to graduate in 2026. He is a football player for the Benson Bruins as well.

What Does Banchero Do Now That He Is Not Playing Football for the University of Washington?

Mario, as previously mentioned, played tight end for the Washington Huskies football team while attending college.

Despite being a very competitive athlete in college, Mario became interested in business after graduation and is currently president of Mondo and Sons Inc. It appears that the business is a meat wholesaler and processor located in Tukwilla, Seattle, Washington.

He oversees 1150 LLC as a managing partner as well. Previously, the president of the Genesee Merchants Association was an Italian American.

In addition, he served as the City of Seattle District Council’s secretary and vice president. Mario’s résumé mentions his membership on the Rainier Chamber of Commerce board.

Mario Banchero Frequently Posts Anything On Twitter

Mario, Paolo’s father, appears to be rather alive on social media, using accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. In the latter, the father of the NBA player never passes up the opportunity to discuss basketball, particularly college basketball.

Additionally, he frequently pays tribute to his native Italy, particularly to their national basketball, soccer, and other sports teams. He supports his children by making every effort to attend their games, and people can find him doing so on his other social media accounts, Facebook and Instagram. The father of three never seems to tire of talking about his rapidly developing children.

Mario Banchero Additional Information

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Banchero attended O’Dea High School, graduating in 1992. In terms of education, he attended the University of Washington, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communications in 1997.

Mario declares that he is glad to be a Catholic. He concurs with Pope Francis’ 2020 assertion that “a conscientious Catholic cannot be a voter who only supports one issue.”

Mario Banchero stands between six and four feet tall. As evidenced by his Twitter profile photo, he is really taller than six-foot-one-inch former US President Barack Obama. Mario is just an inch taller than his 6’2″ wife, Rhonda Smith Banchero, to further elaborate.

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