Paolo Banchero facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Paolo Banchero

Banchero in 2021
No. 5 – Orlando Magic
Power forward
Personal information
Born	(2002-11-12) November 12, 2002 (age 22) Seattle, Washington, U.S.
Nationality	American / Italian
High school	O'Dea (Seattle, Washington)
Listed height	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight	250 lb (113 kg)
Career information
College	Duke (2021–2022)
NBA Draft	2022 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1st overall
Selected by the Orlando Magic
Pro career	2022–present
League	NBA
Career history
2022–present	Orlando Magic
Career highlights and awards
NBA All-Star (2024) NBA Rookie of the Year (2023) NBA All-Rookie First Team (2023) Consensus second-team All-American (2022) First-team All-ACC (2022) ACC Rookie of the Year (2022) ACC All-Freshman Team (2022) McDonald's All-American (2021)

Paolo Banchero (born November 12, 2002) is a professional basketball player. He plays for the Orlando Magic in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Before joining the NBA, he played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. In 2022, he was named the Rookie of the Year for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). After his first year in college, he entered the 2022 NBA draft. The Orlando Magic chose him as the first player picked overall. In 2023, Banchero won the NBA Rookie of the Year award.

Early Life and Growing Up

Paolo Banchero was a very tall baby, reaching 3 feet 1 inch by 15 months old! As a child, he loved playing basketball and American football. He also took part in track events. He played basketball at the Rotary Boys and Girls Club in Seattle. His mother, who played basketball professionally, inspired him. When he was in seventh grade, Paolo grew from 6 feet 1 inch to 6 feet 5 inches. By eighth grade, he was one of the top 50 players in the country for both basketball and football.

High School Basketball Star

Paolo Banchero playing for O'Dea High School in 2020

Paolo went to O'Dea High School in Seattle. In his first year, he played football as a backup quarterback on a state championship team. He also played basketball. As a freshman on the basketball team, he scored about 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds per game.

In his second year, Paolo averaged 18.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists. He led O'Dea to win the Class 3A state championship. He was named the most valuable player of the tournament. As a junior, he continued to shine, averaging 22.6 points and 11 rebounds. He won the Washington Gatorade Player of the Year award. He was also named MaxPreps National Junior of the Year. Paolo was chosen for the McDonald's All-American Game. This is a special game for the best high school players.

Choosing a College Team

Paolo was one of the top high school basketball players in the 2021 class. Many top college teams wanted him to play for them, including Duke and Kentucky. Many experts thought he would choose to play for Washington. However, on August 20, 2020, Paolo decided to play college basketball for Duke.

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Paolo Banchero PF	Seattle, WA	O'Dea (WA)	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Aug 20, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 97
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 2  247Sports: 2  ESPN: 3
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College Career at Duke

In his first college game, Paolo scored 22 points against Kentucky. He quickly became a key player for Duke. He was named the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) Freshman of the Week multiple times.

Paolo had many great games in college. For example, he scored 28 points against the Citadel and 21 points against Gonzaga. He also scored 23 points against Virginia Tech. He was named first-team All-ACC. He also won the ACC Rookie of the Year award.

In March 2022, Paolo was named a Third Team All-American. During the NCAA tournament, he played very well, 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, Paolo decided to leave college early to enter the 2022 NBA draft.

Professional Career

Orlando Magic (2022–present)

Rookie of the Year (2022–2023)

The Orlando Magic chose Paolo Banchero as the first player picked overall in the 2022 NBA draft. This was a bit of a surprise at the time. He became only the second Italian player ever to be picked first in the NBA draft.

Paolo played well in his first NBA Summer League game, scoring 17 points. In his first regular-season game on October 19, he scored 27 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and made 5 assists. He was the first player since LeBron James to have such a great debut. On November 5, Paolo scored 33 points and had 16 rebounds. He became only the second teenager in NBA history, after LeBron James, to achieve at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in a game. At the end of the season, Paolo Banchero was named the NBA Rookie of the Year. He also earned a spot on the NBA All-Rookie Team.

First All-Star and Playoff Appearance (2023–2024)

Paolo continued to improve in his second season. On November 2, 2023, he scored 30 points and made a game-winning shot against the Utah Jazz. He also had a great game against the Los Angeles Lakers, with 25 points and 10 assists. On December 6, Paolo scored a career-high 42 points against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He broke that record on January 3, 2024, scoring 43 points against the Sacramento Kings.

On January 6, Paolo achieved his first career triple-double. He had 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists against the Denver Nuggets. On February 1, 2024, Paolo was chosen for his first ever All-Star Game. This is a huge honor for an NBA player. He also made a game-winning shot against the Detroit Pistons on February 24.

On April 20, Paolo played in his first NBA playoff game. He scored 24 points and had 7 rebounds. In Game 3 of the series, he led the Magic to a big win with 31 points and 14 rebounds. In Game 5, he scored a playoff career-high 39 points. Even though the Magic lost the series in seven games, Paolo had an amazing performance in Game 7 with 38 points and 16 rebounds.

Injury and Return (2024–2025)

On October 23, 2024, Paolo started the new season strong. He scored 33 points and had 11 rebounds in a win against the Miami Heat. He joined famous Magic players like Shaquille O’Neal and Tracy McGrady in achieving this. On October 28, Paolo scored a new career-high of 50 points! He also had 13 rebounds and 9 assists in a win against the Indiana Pacers. He became the fourth player in Orlando Magic history to score 50 points in a single game.

However, on October 30, Paolo got injured while playing against the Chicago Bulls. He suffered a torn oblique muscle on his right side. He played through the pain but later had to sit out. He was expected to miss four to six weeks. Paolo returned to play on January 10, 2025, scoring 34 points in a game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

Playing for His Country

Paolo Banchero could have played for the Italian national team because of his father's family. He was even chosen for their team in 2020, but he didn't play. In June 2023, Paolo decided to play for the United States national team instead. He said it was his dream because his mother had played for Team USA. The president of the Italian Basketball Federation, Gianni Petrucci, was not happy with his decision.

Career Statistics

NBA

Regular season

Playoffs

College

Personal Life

Paolo's mother, Rhonda, was also a talented basketball player. She played college basketball for Washington. She was the all-time leading scorer for her team. She also played professionally in the American Basketball League and overseas. Later, she became a basketball coach.

Paolo's father, Mario, and his uncle both played college football for Washington. His parents met while they were students at the University of Washington.

Paolo is of African-American background from his mother's side. He is of Italian background from his father's side. In February 2020, he received Italian citizenship because of his family history.

Paolo has a cousin named Chris Banchero who is also a professional basketball player in the Philippines. Both Paolo and Chris won championships at O'Dea High School.

Paolo has a rare condition where he sweats a lot during games, sometimes losing 7 pounds of sweat. This can sometimes cause him to get cramps.

See also

In Spanish: Paolo Banchero para niños