In principle, wearing the colors of Team USA is a huge honor and few players turn down this opportunity. However, a rookie on fire since the start of the season has already closed the door to this possibility. He will instead represent another country.
The Magic can rub their hands, he succeeded in selecting Paolo Banchero as the first pick of the 2022 draft. the interior indeed displays a superb level of play for his first steps on the court, he who has also dropped something never seen in 40 years. With almost 23 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists per game, the rookie shows great potential although his franchise has a poor collective record (1-6, 15th in the East).
Inevitably, we say that the guy would have a very bright future ahead of him with Team USA, especially since the domestic sector is not necessarily very provided within the US selection. However, it looks like if the former Duke will make his FIBA debut, it won’t be with the United States. During his teammate RJ Hampton’s podcast, he made a big revelation by explaining that he was going to commit to Italy:
Paolo Banchero will play for Italy
When I was 16, the Italian national team contacted my father. They asked him if I had Italian roots, if I could obtain Italian citizenship. And my father told them yes. This is where the whole process started. I flew to San Francisco several times to meet them at the Italian embassy, we had a few meetings, and I ended up getting my Italian passport. I plan to play for the Italy team. I don’t know exactly when.
Italian-American and holding both passports, Banchero had the choice between the two countries and it was finally the Squadra Azzurra who had the right to his favors. It must be said that this has been on his file for several years already and this interest must have pleased the young player. Never having set foot on Italian soil, he nevertheless plans to remedy this in the near future, excited at the idea of getting closer to his paternal roots:
I haven’t been there yet, but the amount of love I get from there is insane. It’s crazy. I can’t wait to go to Italy. My family on my father’s side is Italian. His great-grandfather, my great-great-grandfather, was born in Italy and later moved to Seattle, where he started a family. So my dad’s grandfather and his dad are all from Seattle but with Italian roots.
When I was younger, I always wondered why my name was Paolo Banchero, it was so different from all the kids around me. My father is called Mario, my uncle Angelo, my other uncle Armando, and my brother Giulio. When I started growing up, my father explained our Italian roots to me. He’s never been to Italy either, so that’s pretty new to us.
Instead of playing for the United States, Paolo Banchero preferred to represent Italy in the future. A daring bet because the Squadra Azzurra is not at the same level as Team USA, but we can only welcome the decision of the nugget who made a very personal choice there.
