Fans speculate a relationship between a Paralympic wheelchair rugby player, Chuck Aoki, and DJ and record producer, Steve Aoki, due to their shared surname.
However, they don’t have any familiar connections.
Highlights
- Chuck Aoki and Steve Aoki aren’t blood-related, although they share the same last name and are of Japanese descent.
- Chuck’s great-grandparents migrated to the US in the early 1900s and were placed in an internment camp during the peak of World War II.
- Steve Aoki’s father founded the restaurant chain Benihana.
Chuck Aoki is regarded as one of the top 3.0 classified players in the world. He initially pursued wheelchair basketball but switched to wheelchair rugby.
He became a prominent member of the United States national wheelchair rugby team and represented the United States at the Paralympics thrice in 2012, 2016, and 2020.
Chuck was diagnosed with hereditary sensory, autonomic neuropathy at birth, and the doctor advised him to use a wheelchair at 12 as his condition became worse due to a broken femur.
On the other hand, Steve Aoki began producing DIY records while studying at the University of California.
He used to run underground concerts out of his Biko room in the Santa Barbara Student Housing Cooperative, and the apartment became famous as The Pickle Patch.
Steve founded his label, Dim Mak Records, in 1996 and became a board member for MC5 bassist Michael Davis’ Music Is Revolution Foundation in May 2006.
Chuck Aoki and Steve Aoki come from different family background
Chuck and Steve Aoki’s families originally hail from Japan, but despite sharing the same last name, they have no familial connection.
Steve is from Miami, Florida, whereas Chuck is from Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are 13 years apart in age.
Well, if you can't tell by our apparel, Liz and I are moving to Ann Arbor this summer! She got into the University of Michigan, aka the number one graduate school in the country for social work. I'm so proud of her, and all the hard work she's put in. So come see us in Michigan! pic.twitter.com/9NqGITiuTO
— Chuck Aoki (@Aoki5Chuck) February 13, 2022
33 years old Chuck Aoki was born on March 7, 1991. His parents, Andrew Aoki and Jennifer Nelson named him Charles, and he grew up with his three siblings.
His mother noticed a swelling in his knee, and he had to argue with his parents to convince them to let him practice.
Chuck’s great-grandparents migrated to the US in the early 1900s. They were imprisoned and placed in an internment camp in the United States during the peak of World War II.
Later, they were released from the camp, and his grandfather joined the United States Army.
Chuck married Liz Gregory in a Minneapolis church on December 17, 2022. She is a master’s of social work student at the University of Michigan.
On the other hand, 46 years old Steve Aoki was born on November 30, 1977. His parents, Rocky Aoki and Chizuru Kobayashi, named him Steven Hiroyuki Aoki.
He is the third child and grew up with his siblings, Kana and Kevin, in Newport Beach, California. Likewise, he has a half-sister, Devon Aoki, who is a model and actress.
His father, a former wrestler, founded the restaurant chain Benihana.
Moreover, Steve married model Tiernan Cowling in 2015 but went their separate ways in 2018.
Additional Information
- Chuck Aoki saw the documentary Murderball and became interested in playing wheelchair rugby in 2005.
- He mistakenly pronounced his name “Chuck” when his doctor asked him to say his name. Later, he went by the name Chuck at 6.
- Steve Aoki published a memoir, Blue: The Color of Noise, in 2019 and founded the Steve Aoki Charitable Fund.
