Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero Says Sharing Court With LeBron James Was 'Surreal'
The NBA All-Star Break has concluded, and Orlando Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero sat down in his postgame interview after the big game and talked about his experience.
One of the main things that the young forward talked about was sharing the court with a player like LeBron James on a stage as big as the All-Star Game. He also hopes that the Lakers star will be able to play in a few more of them before he retires.
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"That was my favorite player growing up, so to be able to share the court with him for an All-Star Game is surreal," Banchero said. "Hopefully I'll get to play a couple more years against him, but whenever he decides to hang it up, he deserves it."
This year is LeBron's 21st season in the NBA, and he has shown no signs of slowing down. But even though he has been doing it at the highest level for over two decades, all good things must come to an end. But when James retires, he will be leaving the NBA in good hands with players like Banchero.
The young All-Star shows flashes of James at times, as he uses his large frame and high basketball IQ to get his teammates the ball. Banchero's assist average has risen from just 3.7 in his rookie season to 5.3 so far this season. And if that number continues to go up, he could lead the Magic to great things for years to come.
Banchero and the Magic will be back in action in the team's first game after the All-Star Break on Thursday against Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. ET at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
