Paolo Banchero

ABOUT PAOLO BANCHERO

Power forward who spent one season at Duke University before declaring for the NBA. He was selected first overall in the 2022 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic and he went on to win the 2022-23 NBA Rookie of the Year award. He was a McDonald's All-American and a member of the Jordan Brand Classic game in 2021.

Prior to attending Duke, he graduated from O'Dea High School where he was a three-sport athlete.

He made his collegiate debut playing against the University of Kentucky on November 9, 2021. The same year, he was involved in the Nike Hoop Summit all-star game.  He was named Rookie of the Year in 2023.

He is a native of Seattle, Washington. His mother, Rhonda, played collegiate basketball at the University of Washington up until 2000. Although he was born of Italian descent.

He was coached by Mike Krzyzewski at Duke University.