After Madonna hung out with Charles Barkley in 1993, tabloids ran with the story that the two were dating. "She's awfully short. He's awfully married," Philadelphia Daily News writer, Ann Gerhart, wrote in her gossip column "Tattler" at the time. Gerhart even added insights into the potential couple's bedroom activities.
The purported liaison between Madonna and Barkley had consequences on the NBA player's family, as he implied that the salacious press coverage led to his wife Maureen Blumhardt's mother having a heart attack. "She [his mother-in-law] has had a lot of stress from the jokes about me and Madonna [dating] and has been harassed with people [media] calling the house," Barkley told the Chicago Tribune in 1993. Barkley maintained that there was no romance between him and the pop star. "I only met her [Madonna] one time when she was in Phoenix. We don't date. We don't have a relationship," he said. "When my wife goes out, they play Madonna songs, they're calling my in-laws," Barkley added. This took place while Barkley and the Phoenix Suns were playing Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls in the 1993 NBA Finals.
Years later, rumors of the Madonna-Barkley romance still circulated. While recapping Madonna's past romances, the Daily Record wrote in 1998 that Barkley broke off their reported romance. "I ain't interested in the girl. We met, had some fun, and that's it," he supposedly told friends. Both Madonna and Barkley would discuss their rumored affair in interviews.
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