Rhonda Banchero and Mario Banchero are the parents of Paolo Banchero, an American professional basketball player. Mario and Rhonda got married in July 1999. Paolo is the first of his parents’ three children. The other two are Mia Banchero and Lio Banchero.
Meet Mario Banchero, Paolo Banchero’s Father
Mario Banchero is an Italian businessman and ex-collegiate football player. Although Mario was fairly famous during his days of playing college football, his exploits in college helped lay the foundation for his children’s success in the world of sports today.
Mario Banchero is 50 years old. He was born on April 16, 1974, in Seattle, Washington, United States of America. He is of Italian ancestry but was born in the US following the migration of his ancestors in the early 1900s. Only a little is known about his parents.
While we could not confirm the identities of his parents, reports have it that his ancestors were farmers and coal miners in Italy. His ancestors were from the northern side of the country. Although this is the information regarding Mario’s parents that is coming from some media sources, this information is however unconfirmed.
We are also able to establish that his parents raised him in Seattle, Washington, where he spent his childhood with his immediate and extended family members. Although nothing has been said about him having siblings, it is believed that he is not the only child of his parents.
Mario Banchero attended the University of Washington
Mario Bancehero’s highest educational qualification is a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. He attended the university from 1994 to 1997 and played for the University’s Husky football team.
Mario earlier got his high school education at O’Dea High School from 1989 to 1992, although there are no details available about his activities there. However, Mario is passionate about sports, it is believed that he started creating a family legacy in sports while he was in high school.
What Does Paolo Banchero’s Dad Do for a Living Now?
Mario Banchero is currently the head of his family’s meat processing business – Mondo and Sons Inc. The company processes and distributes meat in Tukwilla, Seattle, Washington. However, before now, he started off his career in sports by playing college football for the University of Washington’s Huskies, where he was enrolled to study communications.
While he actively played in college, he did not pursue his football playing career professionally after he graduated. As such, he did not win any awards or make any notable impact as an ex-collegiate football player. Before he entered the family business, Mario held other professional positions across various paths.
He was a board member of the Rainier Chamber of Commerce in Seattle, Washington. Mario was also the secretary of the city of Seattle district council, then he became the VP city of Seattle southeast district council. He then rose to become the president of the Genesee Merchants Association, Seattle, Washington, and also a managing partner, 1150 LLC, Tukwila, Washington, from 2015 to date.
Mario and Paolo Banchero Have a Close Relationship
Since Mario and his wife, Rhonda, were both athletes at their younger ages, they apparently influenced their son Paolo’s career and understandably even facilitated him with a lot of help. Although in his interviews, Paolo has stressed his mother’s rigor, in addition to her past experiences as an athlete, played a significant role in helping his career get to where it is now.
Regardless of the situation above, the 2022 ACC Rookie of the Year initially had an interest in playing football as his father did for the Washington Huskies. As mentioned, Mario was also a collegiate player for the Washington Huskies, playing as a tight end for their football team. It’s no secret that boys always want to be like their fathers, but a mother’s love is very influential.
Although Paolo may have chosen basketball over football, which his father played in his college days, his father still has some level of influence over his life. Mario was able to convince his son to receive Italian citizenship. As mentioned earlier, Mario’s ancestors migrated from Italy to the United States. His son Paolo officially became an Italian in Feb 2020.
Following the announcement of his Italian citizenship acquisition, he has since been contacted by the Italian Basketball Federation for Italy’s EuroBasket qualification games the same year. Paolo, however, opted not to play. Albeit, the 19-year-old would like to play for the Azzurri in international competitions in the future. Paolo is always proud of his father’s Italian heritage and even displays the country’s flag on his social media handles.
Is Paolo Banchero’s Mother Black?
Paolo’s mother is an African American. She is an American former basketball player who played college basketball for the Washington Huskies, where she graduated as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,948 points.
Rhonda played basketball at a time when it was not encouraging for female players. For her role in the development of the game for women, she was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 2004. She went on to play professionally for several seasons, including for the Sacramento Monarchs in the WNBA.
Rhonda Smith Banchero is from Seattle, Washington
Rhonda Smith Banchero is 51 years old. She was born Rhonda Smith. It is believed that Rhonda was born and raised in Seattle, Washington. However, there is little or no information available about her birth parents.
Rhonda’s parents are yet to be revealed as there are no available details about them known by the public. Her ethnicity could be African American, Latino, or from the Caribbean. Regardless of the case, one thing is sure, her ancestral root is from Africa due to her skin color.
Rhonda Smith Banchero Also Attended the University of Washington
It is uncertain where she started her elementary education, as her early childhood history has not been made available. She is a very private person who shares less or none of her personal details on social media or with the general public.
Rhonda attended Franklin High School, a public high school in Seattle, Washington, located in its Mount Baker neighborhood. The period of her education at Franklin High School is uncertain. However, it could be from 1988 to 1991. Franklin High is possibly close to the location where she first met the man who would later be her husband.
Although there are no details available about her activities there. Be that as it may, it is believed that Rhonda started playing basketball during her high school days at Franklin High. It is on record that her career in basketball began when she was playing high school basketball.
Rhonda Smith Bancehero’s highest educational qualification is a bachelor’s degree from the University of Washington. She was at the university from 1991 to 1995 and played for the Washington Huskies women’s basketball team representing the University of Washington in NCAA Division I college basketball, competing in the Pac-12 Conference.
What Does Paolo Banchero’s Mom Do for a Living Now?
Rhonda Smith-Banchero currently coaches young girls playing basketball at Holy Names Academy in Seattle, where her son was a regular at her games and practices. Before her coaching days began, she started her basketball career playing for the Washington Huskies.
She was the Washington women’s basketball program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,948 points while playing from 1991 to 1995 (although she has since been passed by Washington alumna and Las Vegas Aces star Kelsey Plum, who scored 3,527 points to become college basketball’s all-time leading women’s scorer.)
After she graduated from Washington with a degree in communication, she wanted to continue playing basketball. However, there was no organized basketball league for women to play professionally in 1995. The Hall of Famer didn’t want to risk losing her talent, so she traveled overseas to play for countries already having a league dedicated to professional women’s basketball. She played in Taiwan and Isreal.
Rhonda returned home and joined her hometown Seattle Reign of the American Basketball League, which was one of two fledgling U.S. professional basketball leagues for women. A year later, in 1996, the NBA established the WNBA, a professional league different for women. This provided Rhonda the opportunity to play for teams like Sacramento Monarchs.
Rhonda Smith Banchero Also Has a Close Relationship With Her Son
Rhonda’s son never saw her play in person. In fact, she was three years into her retirement at the time of his birth. But she has somehow inspired greatness into the personality of the young athlete. Her son has viewed enough videotape to know she had a strong right hand offensively, was tough, could rebound, and had great post moves. The 6 ft 9 inches athlete believes that some of his game mimics how his mother played.
While growing up, Paolo dabbled in football and track. He started playing basketball around the age of 4, and it eventually became his passion due to his mother’s influence. Smith-Banchero coached girls’ basketball at Holy Names Academy in Seattle, and her son was a regular at her games and practices. Paolo credits his mother for being his main influence in helping him fall in love with basketball.
Rhonda and her son watched WNBA games together regularly, and he proudly remains a women’s basketball fan and supporter. According to Rhonda, her son was always driven as he practiced more off the court while she was with her girls in training. And if she sees him doing practices that are not going to help him build up his skills, she encourages him to spend his time more on worthy of practice. According to her, he was coachable at a young age.
Rhonda Smith-Banchero has always provided guidance that went beyond basketball as well. She says she regularly told her son that he would be treated differently because he was Black. Making the matter more complicated for her son during his youth was his extraordinary height – he was 3 feet tall at 15 months and had surpassed 6 feet by the seventh grade.
Are Paolo Banchero’s Parents Still Together?
Yes, they are still happily married. Mario Banchero and Rhonda Smith met during their undergraduate days at the University of Washington. Although the report is that they met when they were students at the university, they both grew up a few blocks from each other and attended schools that were close to each other.
They, however, didn’t get to meet each other until their enrollment at the university. Both Mario and Rhonda were athletes on the University’s team, and this mutual interest brought them together. Mario and Rhonda got married in July 1999. They started dating each other in the late 1990s, and in February 1999, he proposed to her at Green Lake.
On the day of the proposal, they were both supposed to meet up with each other’s parents, but Mario pretended that his car would not start and asked Rhonda to pick him up at the Lake. When she arrived, they walked around the lake for a while before Mario finally proposed to her with flowers and a guitarist playing in the background.
Mario revealed that he had carefully planned the proposal and got his inspiration from one of Fox’s comedy TV shows where a character equally proposed to his fiancee at Green Lake. Paolo’s parents are still happily married, and they have been so for the last two decades with three beautiful children living impressive lives.
Paolo Banchero’s Family
Paolo Banchero’s family is made up of his parents and two siblings. He is the first child Mario welcomed with his wife. He was born on November 12, 2002, three years after his parent’s wedding. The happily married couple would go on to have two other children, and their names are Mia Banchero and Lio Banchero.
Mia is two years younger than Paolo, her well-known brother. Like other family members, Mia enjoys sports as well. She plays soccer as a defensive midfielder for Holy Names Academy and Reigh Academy Washington.
The youngest Banchero kid is Lio. He is currently a senior at O’Dea High School, the same school his father was an alma mater. Lio, who plays football for the Benson Bruins in Washington, possesses the athletic genes that run in the Banchero family, as was already described in the article.
FAQs
Who is Paolo Banchero’s Dad?
Paolo Bachero’s dad is Mario Banchero, a 50 year-old Italian businessman and ex-collegiate football player.
Who is Paolo Banchero’s Mom?
Paolo Bachero’s mother is Rhonda Banchero, a 51 year-old African-American basketball coach.
What is Paolo Banchero’s Ethnicity?
Paolo Banchero’s ethnicity is mixed. His father is Italian, while his mother is an African-American woman.
Where is Paolo Banchero From?
Paolo Bachero was born and raised in Seattle, Washington, which makes him an American. He, however, has roots in Italy, thanks to his father.