The greatest athletes lead a very busy life, as their time is generally extremely valuable as they constantly have several engagements to pay attention to. Even after they retire, the wealth they accrue generally means that they have businesses to look after or they stay involved with the game in some capacity. Charles Barkley, one of TV’s most famous personalities and one of the NBA’s greatest players ever, is an excellent example of this.
The schedule, the fame, and the opportunities of being in a position like this make relationships and marriages hard to sustain. A lot of players end up leaving their partners at some point, with stories of cheating and such rife amongst the elite. However, Barkley’s marriage has been anything but tumultuous. The Chuckster married Maureen Blumhardt in 1989 and the two have been together for over 30 years.
Barkley recently spoke about what has allowed his marriage to last so long on ‘The Sessions with Renee Paquette’ podcast (via BroBible).
“Well, number one, I’m gone a lot. That always helps.
“I think the main reason is she accepts me flaws and all,” he continued. “Like, this thing is so hard because the one thing about being in the limelight, people only look at the good stuff. There’s a lot of crap that goes on behind the scenes. And I used to take it home all the time. I don’t take it home anymore.
“So I think the main thing is, she doesn’t judge me. She accepts me how I am, she’s a great mother. I have learned that I want to be a great father. I want to be a great father.”
As always, Barkley’s take is both nuanced and insightful, explaining in simple terms what is important in maintaining a marriage. Chuck is a larger-than-life figure and while a lot of what he says is meant for entertainment, his unfiltered style often results in him sharing wisdom that people can use in their daily life.
(The quote is inside the video below).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPldLqwPcsA
