Italy President on Magic's Paolo Banchero USA Commitment: 'We Were Fooled!'
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero made a lot of people happy when he officially committed to play for Team USA this summer.
However, Italian Basketball Federation president Gianni Petrucci certainly wasn't one of them.
“It was a legitimate decision, but he could have made a call to communicate that to us,” Petrucci said to La Gazzetta dello Sport. “Instead, we learned about his decision from the newspapers. In the past few days, he was in Milan, and despite our agreements with his agency, he avoided the meeting with coach [Gianmarco] Pozzecco."
The NBA's reigning Rookie of the Year, Banchero was projected to be suiting up for the Italy at the FIBA World Cup - even stating that he would've played for them in 2020 had it not been for COVID-19. However, the former No. 1 opted to stay for the United States ahead of this summer’s World Cup in Manila, Philippines.
“Betrayal, especially in basketball, is a strong word," Petrucci said. "Situations like this happen, and personally, I’m used to it. But he fooled us. We were planning a great commercial strategy for him. Now, we need to turn this disappointment into positive energy. I’m sure our coach will be able to do it.”
Following a season where Banchero led the Magic in scoring (20.0), to go along with 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, the second-year forward j0w joins a young and talented Team USA squad.
- Anthony Edwards (shooting guard, Minnesota Timberwolves)
- Tyrese Haliburton (Point guard, Indiana Pacers)
- Mikal Bridges (Small Forward, Brooklyn Nets)
- Bobby Portis (Power forward)
- Austin Reaves (Point Guard, Los Angeles Lakers)
- Jalen Brunson (Point Guard, New York Knicks)
- Jaren Jackson Jr (Center, Memphis Grizzlies)
- Brandon Ingram (Forward, New Orleans Pelicans)
- Walker Kessler (Center, Utah Jazz)
- Cam Johnson (Forward, Nets)
The Red, White and Blue looks to fill out its final roster spot for this summer's World Cup, which is scheduled to begin Aug. 25.
You can follow Riley Sheppard on Twitter @RileyDSheppard.
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