BIOGRAPHY
Paolo Banchero was born on November 12, 2002 in Seattle, Washington. He is a forward in the NBA.
Banchero played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Following his freshman season, Banchero declared for the 2022 NBA draft, where he was selected with the first overall pick by the Orlando Magic. In 2022, he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year.
Banchero, an italian-american, reached a height of 3 feet (0.91 m) at 15 months of age. In his childhood, he played basketball and American football and took part in track. He grew up playing basketball at Rotary Boys and Girls Club of Seattle, drawing inspiration from his mother, who played professionally. In seventh grade, Banchero grew from 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) to 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m). He was ranked among the top 50 eighth-graders nationally in both basketball and football.
In his first year at O'Dea High School in Seattle, Banchero played football, as the backup quarterback on the state championship team, as well as basketball. As a freshman on the basketball team, he averaged 14.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. In his sophomore season, Banchero averaged 18.2 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game, leading O'Dea to the Class 3A state championship, where he was named most valuable player. As a junior, he averaged 22.6 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.6 blocks per game for the Class 3A runners-up, earning Washington Gatorade Player of the Year and MaxPreps National Junior of the Year honors. Banchero was named to the McDonald's All-American Game and Jordan Brand Classic rosters.
Banchero was a consensus five-star recruit and one of the top players in the 2021 class. Although he received offers from top NCAA Division I programs, including Duke and Kentucky, most recruiting analysts predicted that he would commit to Washington. Despite the predictions, on August 20, 2020, Banchero committed to playing college basketball for Duke.
In his college debut, a 79–71 win against Kentucky, Banchero scored 22 points. On November 15, Banchero earned his first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Week honor. On November 23, 2021, Banchero scored 28 points and 8 rebounds in a 107–81 victory against the Citadel. He was named first-team All-ACC as well as ACC Rookie of the Year. On March 15, 2022, Banchero was named a Third Team All-American. During the 2022 NCAA tournament, Banchero performed well, including scoring 22 points against Texas Tech. As a freshman, he averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. On April 20, 2022, Banchero declared for the 2022 NBA draft, forgoing his remaining college eligibility.
Banchero was selected with the first overall pick by the Orlando Magic in the 2022 NBA draft. On October 3, 2022, Banchero made his preseason debut, putting up eight points, two rebounds and one assist in a 109–97 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. On October 19, Banchero made his regular-season debut, putting up 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and two blocks in a 113–109 loss to the Detroit Pistons. Banchero also became the first player since LeBron James to put up at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in an NBA debut. On November 5, Banchero put up 33 points and 16 rebounds in a 126–123 loss to the Sacramento Kings. He also became the second teenager in NBA history to put up at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game, joining LeBron James. At the season's end, Banchero was named the NBA Rookie of the Year and earned NBA All-Rookie Team honors.
On November 2, 2023, Banchero put up a season-high 30 points alongside a game-winning layup in a 115–113 win over the Utah Jazz. On November 4, Banchero recorded a 25 point, 10 assist double-double while adding seven rebounds and leading Orlando to a 120–101 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.
