Former Duke basketball player [autotag]Paolo Banchero[/autotag] continued his march to NBA stardom on Friday when he was announced as the cover star of the newest SLAM KICKS magazine.
The magazine, a branch of the famous SLAM Magazine meant specifically for shoes, shows Banchero posing with a basketball under his arms and more than a half-dozen Jordan basketball shoes in front of him.
Banchero shared a quick post to X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, about how he ordered copies of SLAM while he was in middle school. This is now his third time on the cover of a SLAM magazine.
“(Stuff) like this makes me trip out on life,” Banchero wrote.
After taking Duke to the Final Four as a freshman in 2022, he became the fifth Blue Devil taken with the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft. Banchero won Rookie of the Year honors in 2022-23, and he led the Orlando Magic to the playoffs this past season.
Officially unveiling the Air Jordan 39 with Paolo Banchero
Get the magazine: https://t.co/8nT7liCOXB
Read the words: https://t.co/cu9R4hjCP3
Watch the video: https://t.co/NZH37e09gP pic.twitter.com/dk8I8cu9JG
— SLAM (@SLAMonline) August 16, 2024
Banchero averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game in his sophomore season.