Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero Felt Like a 'Zoo Animal' During Time at Duke
All eyes have been on Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero since he was selected No. 1 overall in June. The attention toward the 19-year-old ballooned even more Wednesday night as he debuted with 27 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in Orlando's 113-109 season-opening road loss to the Detroit Pistons.
But dating back to his time as a one-and-done freshman with the Duke Blue Devils last season, maybe there was such a thing as too many eyes.
Banchero joined Magic teammate RJ Hampton for a recent episode of The Young Person Basketball Podcast to talk about his play in the preseason the life of fame he's grown accustomed to since his days in Durham, N.C.
And while he made sure to clarify his love for Duke, Banchero couldn't deny that he felt like a tourist attraction at times amongst his classmates.
"It was almost like they treat you like -- and I love Duke by far -- but sometimes it (felt) like you were a zoo animal or something," Banchero said. "In class, you'd see them over there whispering about you, staring at you, (I've) caught people trying to record me."
At one of the most decorated basketball programs in history, Banchero was the latest superstar. In 39 career games with the Blue Devils, he averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 1.1 steals while helping lead the team to the Final Four in the final season under legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski.
"Going to Duke it was something totally different," Banchero said. "They treated you like royalty there if you were on the basketball team."
If Banchero thought his time at Duke was crazy, his fame will only skyrocket if he continues to build off his impressive season-opening performance.
The Magic (0-1) will visit the Atlanta Hawks (1-0) on Friday for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip inside State Farm Arena.
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