Who is No 1 pick Paolo Banchero and how old is he?
PAOLO BANCHERO was drafted No 1 overall by the Orlando Magic in the NBA draft on Thursday night.
Banchero, 19, hails from an athletic family - his mother played for the WNBA and his father played collegiate football.
Who is Paolo Banchero?
Duke University’s Blue Devils Forward Banchero joined the North Carolina team in 2021 and wears the #5 jersey.
Recognized as the best player on the team during his first season - the college basketball player stands at 6 feet 10 inches and weighs 250lbs.
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As Duke’s leading scorer, he was a projected top-three pick for the NBA 2022 Draft in his freshman year.
And he delivered on that promise when the Magic selected him No 1 overall.
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The American-Italian has also been signed to play for the Italy national team.
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How old is Paolo Banchero?
Paolo Banchero was born in Seattle, Washington on November 12, 2002, making him 19 years old as of February 2022.
His mother Rhonda Smith-Banchero played for WNBA’s LA Sparks, Cleveland Rockers and Portland Fire. His father, Mario Banchero, was a tight end for the Washington Huskies college football team.
Banchero is of Italian heritage on his father’s side and proudly displays the country’s flag on his social media bio.
At age 17 he received Italian citizenship and in 2021 he spoke about how he’s excited to play on the Azzurro Italian national squad.
What brand deals has Banchero signed?
Banchero announced he’d signed a name, image, likeness (NIL) deal with JD Sports in February 2022.
The British sports retail store - which has outlets in 29 states - previously signed celebrity ambassadors including former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua and actor Jaden Smith.
It’s not the first big NIL deal for Banchero who is represented by the CAA. In September 2021 he made history by becoming the first college basketball player to feature in the NBA’s 2K video game. The 2K22 announcement came after the NCAA announced a new policy in June 2021 that allows the young sports stars to ink groundbreaking NIL deals.
A few weeks after revealing his video game agreement, Banchero announced another historic NIL agreement - this time giving Panini exclusive rights to his trading card in a multi-year deal. The contract made Banchero the first college player with a trading card deal.
