Paolo Banchero

Paolo Banchero is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. He plays for the Orlando Magic and he was the first overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. In 2023, he was named the NBA Rookie of the Year.

Player Profile and Personal Life

Paolo Napoleon James Banchero was born on November 12, 2002, in Seattle, Washington in the United States of America. He stands 208 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 113 kg.

He shoots with his right and he is a power forward.

Banchero is eligible to represent Italy in international competitions and was selected to play for their national team in EuroBasket 2022 but he chose not to play. Instead, he chose to play for the United States in the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

High School and College Career

He attended O'Dea High School in Seattle, Washington. In 2021, he was named a McDonald’s All-American.

Later, he committed to play for Duke University and was there from 2021 to 2022. In that short period, he was named the ACC Rookie of the Year. He was also named to the First-team All-ACC and the ACC All-Freshman Team.

Professional Career

He joined the NBA in 2022 and was the first overall pick of the draft, selected by the Orlando Magic.

In his first year in the league, he was named the 2023 NBA Rookie of the Year and he was also named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

Career Highlights

• 2023 - NBA Rookie of the Year
• 2023 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
• 2022 - Consensus second-team All-American
• 2022 - First-team All-ACC
• 2022 - ACC Rookie of the Year
• 2022 - ACC All-Freshman Team
• 2021 - McDonald's All-American