'It's Lit': Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero Excited to Play With Childhood Idols

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero is over 2,000 miles away from his hometown of Seattle, but he has a couple pieces of home with him in Central Florida.

Banchero isn't the only player on the Magic roster with connections to the pacific northwest. His teammates, Terrence Ross and Markelle Fultz, played for the University of Washington in college and tweeted about how he used to watch them as a kid.

i really grew up watching t ross and markelle at UW going crazy in hec ed. now we on tha same team and it’s lit haha🔥
— Paolo Banchero (@Pp_doesit) September 6, 2022

Ross, the longest-tenured member of the Magic, played for the Washington Huskies from 2010-12 and was the 8th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. Fultz spent one season in Washington and was drafted first overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Banchero's mom Rhonda played for Washington as a basketball player herself from 1991-95, and was the program's all-time leading scorer once she graduated. Her record stood for nearly a decade before it was broken.

Banchero was expected to also join Washington as one of the top recruits in the 2021 high school class, but he opted to join the Duke Blue Devils.

It can be difficult being so far from home with all the expectations placed on Banchero, but with a couple small pieces of home with him, the No. 1 overall pick can be slightly more at ease.

Banchero is set to make his NBA debut in less than six weeks on Oct. 19 against the Detroit Pistons.

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