Magic PF Paolo Banchero's FIBA World Cup Commitment Revealed
Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero will be suiting up in a different shade of blue this offseason.
Red, White and Blue to be more specific.
According to The Athletic, Banchero will play for Team USA at the FIBA World Cup in the Philippines this August.
Team USA managing director and former Magic forward Grant Hill spoke on the possibility of Banchero playing for the U.S. national team.
"Paolo is a player that I know extremely well," Hill said to Italian newspaper "La Gazzetta dello Sport". "I've followed his college basketball career and I was able to see his progress this season as a rookie multiple times since I live in Orlando. Paolo is an extraordinary talent and he's already a top player in the league. For sure, he's one of those players that we're following for the World Cup and also for the future of Team USA."
Banchero, the reigning Rookie of the Year, has both American and Italian citizenship, allowing him to play for either nation come this fall's FIBA World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games. However, he is now set to play for the American squad.
Years ago, Banchero wasn't projected to be playing for USA. Without COVID-19, there was a good possibility he would've played for the Italian National Team already.
"If there hadn’t been COVID, I would probably have already played for the Italian national team already at 17-18, and most likely I wouldn’t have missed that opportunity," Banchero said to the Knuckleheads podcast. "But then everything stopped, and a lot has happened since then: I went to college, I did what I did at Duke, I became the No. 1 pick in the draft – so now things are a little different, mainly because at the head of USA Basketball today there is a former Duke (and Orlando) player like Grant Hill. In short, there is a decision to make."
The FIBA World Cup begins on Aug. 25, 2023.
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