Tag: Paolo Banchero

Paolo Banchero makes trip to deliver Gatorade NPOY award to Duke signee and projected No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg joins prestigious club as he was named Gatorade National Player of the Year, and Duke great Paolo Banchero was there to give him the trophy.

The Brotherhood is genuine. People may not believe it, but Duke’s basketball brotherhood is authentic, and at this point, Duke has infiltrated basketball at all levels.

Former Blue Devil Paolo Banchero is in the midst of his second NBA season, and it’s been an exceptional year. He was named an All-Star for the first time and he’s led his Orlando Magic team into the playoff picture with a 42-29 record.

Before his days as the face of the Magic franchise, he spent a tremendous year in Durham as the face of Duke’s program during Coach K’s last season as head coach of the Blue Devils. While Duke came up short, losing to UNC in the Final Four, Banchero brought Duke to the national semifinals for the first time since 2015.

The mesmerizing, do-it-all power forward averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds as the focal point of their offensive attack. So it only makes sense that Banchero would pass that torch to the next do-it-all forward with a chance to be a No. 1 NBA draft pick.

Duke signee, the Class of 2024’s top overall recruit, and projected No. 1 draft pick in the 2025 NBA draft Cooper Flagg was named Gatorade Player of the Year on Wednesday, and Banchero was there to deliver the good news and the trophy to him.

It’s a full circle moment for Flagg, who grew up a Duke fan and is now months away from heading to Durham to write his chapter in the same way Banchero did.

Flagg, who was also named the Naismith High School Boys’ Player of the Year, led the No.1-ranked Montverde Academy to a 30-0 regular season record.

Like Banchero, Flagg is a dynamic forward capable of doing anything on the floor. The two differ mainly in the scoring department, where Banchero probably had a little more diversity in his ability to score the ball. Still, Flagg can pass, shoot, and dribble, and he is a better defender than Banchero was at this stage of his career.

Either way, Duke’s 2025 season will center on the newly minted Gatorade National Player of the Year’s ability to dominate on the basketball court. A Final Four trip like Banchero’s would be an incredible accomplishment for his likely one-year college career.

Former Duke star Paolo Banchero reveals his NCAA Tournament bracket

Paolo Banchero, the former Blue Devil who led the Blue Devils to the Final Four two years ago, has big hopes for this year’s Duke team.

The NCAA Tournament is almost here, and that means celebrities near and far are trying to fill out a bracket. There may not be many celebrities with as much experience as Paolo Banchero, the NBA All-Star who helped lead Duke to the Final Four two years ago.

The Orlando Magic star revealed his predictions for the tournament on Wednesday morning, and he of course picked his former team to go the distance.

Banchero had Duke defeating Connecticut, the defending national champions and the top overall seed, in the title game. Tennessee and Arizona also made it to the Final Four of his bracket.

The former Blue Devil also had North Carolina, the No. 1 seed in the West region, losing to No. 9 Michigan State in the second round.

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

NBA fans were split on whether Paolo Banchero traveled on his game-winning shot against the Pistons

It sure LOOKS like Paolo Banchero might have traveled on this cool game-winner.

Paolo Banchero looks the part of a future NBA superstar. And after his heroics at the expense of the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, it’s hard to argue against this possibility for the first-time All-Star.

There’s just one problem: the NBA world seems to believe Banchero traveled on his awesome game-winning shot. Let’s unpack this.

In the final few seconds, the court is cleared for Banchero to make a move one-on-one on Detroit’s Jalen Duren. When Banchero tries to get space on the baseline, it almost looks as if he’s jumping to the left without dribbling. That, by definition, would be a travel and automatic turnover.

Of course, Banchero’s move only likely looks illegal in the heat of the moment. As explained below, Banchero is allowed to make a full gather move to the left as he hasn’t actually established his pivot foot.

That would mean no travel, a clean play, and a big win for a Magic team fighting to solidify itself in the Eastern Conference playoff standings. (Orlando will probably need more shooting to do it.)

NBA fans were a little more skeptical and mixed on what went into Banchero’s awesome game-winning sequence.

ICYMI: How did NBA All-Star Weekend go for former Blue Devils?

ICYMI: Jayson Tatum and Paolo Banchero helped lead the Eastern Conference to a 211-186 victory in the NBA All-Star Game over the weekend.

A pair of former Blue Devils, Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, played in the NBA All-Star Game over the weekend and helped lead the Eastern Conference to a 211-186 victory over the Western Conference.

Tatum was named one of the five starts in the East in his fifth All-Star nod, while Banchero made the NBA’s biggest weekend for the first time in his career. Both of their teams would be in the playoffs if the season ended at the All-Star break, and Tatum’s Celtics have the best record in the league at 43-12.

On top of the two of them sharing the court with legends like LeBron James and Kevin Durant, a third former Duke player got to see the court over the weekend. Dereck Lively II helped lead his team to the Rising Stars Challenge championship.

Here’s a look at how Duke’s biggest NBA stars handled the spotlight of All-Star Weekend, from the game to everything in between.

Victor Wembanyama offers high praise for Magic All-Star Paolo Banchero

Magic forward Paolo Banchero is a first-time All-Star this season, though at least one of his peers believes he is a bit underrated.

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is a first-time All-Star this season, though at least one of his peers believes the reigning Rookie of the Year is underrated: Victor Wembanyama.

The top pick of the San Antonio Spurs gave Banchero praise on Friday after competing in the Rising Stars game at NBA All-Star Weekend. Though the two players didn’t face each other in the exhibition, they have already played twice in the regular season.

The Magic took both meetings against the Spurs; Banchero played a key role in each victory. Wembanyama was asked about Banchero and was happy to talk about the No. 1 pick in 2022.

I’m surprised nobody asked me (about him) before. I’m kind of happy someone finally did because I think he is one of the most underrated players and No. 1 picks in the past years. I don’t even understand why. But he is someone that I think has a bright future.

Banchero became the ninth Magic player to be named an All-Star. He joined Shaquille O’Neal as the only two players in franchise history to be named Rookie of the Year and then an All-Star in the following season. He is the youngest All-Star and one of four first-time selections this year.

He is averaging a career-high 23 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 36.5% shooting from 3-point range. He is 21st in the league in scoring and has produced nine 30-point games, the most by a Magic player since Nikola Vucevic (9) in the 2020-21 season.

Banchero had the opportunity to team up with Wembanyama on Saturday in the Skills Challenge in Indianapolis, Indiana. He was a bit surprised to learn that Wembanyama believes he is underrated, though doesn’t necessarily concern himself too much with that premise.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t (believe I was underrated), but it is what it is,” Banchero said. “I still went No. 1, Rookie of the Year, so I can’t complain too much. As a competitor and player, you do feel slighted in a way sometimes, but I don’t let it get to my head too much. I try to just go out there and put on a show every night.”

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NBA Rising Stars 2024: Bennedict Mathurin unanimously named MVP to lead Team Jalen to title

Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship.

Indiana Pacers sophomore Bennedict Mathurin on Friday was unanimously named MVP of the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game to lead Team Jalen to the championship in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Mathurin produced 18 points in the opening game as Team Jalen defeated Team Tamika. He had four points, two assists and one steal in a 26-13 win in the final over Team Detlef, which consisted of seven of the top players in the G League.

While Mathurin did the bulk of the scoring in the semifinal round, Dereck Lively II had six points and Jordan Hawkins and Jalen Williams each chipped in five points in the final. Williams drained the game-winning 3-pointer to end it for Team Jalen.

The event featured four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games were played to a target score of 40, and the championship game was played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consisted of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches and the players from the G League were selected by the league office.

The four teams were coached by Hall of Famer Pau Gasol, Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who led the G League team.

Here is how the teams performed in the event.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Full rosters revealed in draft announcement

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the four seven-player teams for the 2024 NBA Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams. The seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Here are the rosters drafted by Gasol, Catchings and Rose.

NBA Rising Stars 2024: Player pool revealed for annual showcase at All-Star Weekend

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 at All-Star Weekend.

The NBA on Tuesday unveiled the list of 28 players set to participate in the annual Rising Stars game on Feb. 16 as part of All-Star Weekend in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The event will feature four seven-player teams competing in a three-game tournament for the third straight year. The two semifinal games will be played to a target score of 40. The championship game will be played to a target score of 25.

The pool of players for the game consists of 11 rookies, 10 second-year players and seven players from the G League. The 21 players in the NBA will be drafted onto three teams and the seven players in the G League will comprise the fourth team.

The players from the NBA were selected by assistant coaches. The players from the G League were selected by the league office. Each team submitted a rookie ballot and a sophomore ballot featuring four frontcourt players, four guards and two additional players of any position.

Hall of Famer Pau Gasol will return as one of the four honorary head coaches for the event. Joining Gasol are Indiana Fever legend Tamika Catchings and former Indiana Pacers standouts Jalen Rose and Detlef Schrempf, who will lead the G League team.

Assistant coaches from the NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs will join the honorary head coaches in coaching the Rising Stars teams. The NBA All-Star Game coaching staffs for both the Eastern and Western Conferences have yet to be determined.

TNT will televise the competition beginning at 9 p.m. EST.

Social Media reacts to Coby White’s dunk over Paolo Banchero

Social media reacts to former UNC Tar Heel Coby White posterizing former Duke star Paolo Banchero.

It is always great to see the UNC and Duke rivalry spill over into professional sports, and that’s what we got with former Tar Heel [autotag]Coby White[/autotag] slamming down a monstrous dunk over former Duke star Paolo Banchero.

The dunk that sent shockwaves in United Center with players and fans in amazement, made it rounds on social media. The highlight dunk was picked up by major media outlets like the NBA’s main social account, gaining over 370k views in just two hours.

As more media outlets picked up White Dunk, his name started appearing all over the timeline.

What made the dunk even more special is that it gave the Bulls the lead, capping off a comeback after being down by 20 points. Despite not walking out with the win, White Dunk had social media buzzing about the highlight moment.

Let us look at how social media rested on White’s monstrous dunk over Banchero.

Watch: D’Angelo Russell goes baseline and dunks on Paolo Banchero

Early in Monday’s Lakers versus Magic game, D’Angelo Russell put Paolo Banchero on a poster by dunking on him.

The Los Angeles Lakers have lost two of their first three games of the new NBA season, and their backcourt has struggled, especially on the offensive end. In particular, starting point guard D’Angelo Russell has had trouble finding the range.

Last season, he posted career highs in overall shooting percentage and 3-point accuracy. But through three games, he’s shooting just 36.6% overall and 23.5% from beyond the arc.

But early in Monday’s game versus the Orlando Magic, the former No. 2 draft pick came out cooking. He shot 4-of-6 in the first quarter as Los Angeles took a five-point lead at the end of the period, and one of those made shots put Paolo Banchero, last season’s Rookie of the Year, on a poster.

Russell is not known for his hops, but he showed there he can get off the ground, at least a little bit.