Paolo Banchero’s Team USA Decision Drew Irate Response From Italian Basketball Federation President

He gained Italian citizenship in 2020 with the intention of playing for Team Italy.

Paolo Banchero recently swapped his commitment and opted to play for Team USA in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, spurning the Italian national team. Banchero had previously made a verbal commitment to play for Italy, however, he had a change of heart ahead of this summer’s World Cup in Manila, Philippines. 

His decision left Italian Basketball Federation president Gianni Petrucci irritated. Petrucci sounded off on the “betrayal” from Banchero, labeling the late change as a “joke.”

“Betrayal is a big word, in sports these things happen and personally I’m used to it. I consider it a joke,” said Petrucci, in a quote translated from his native Italian, via Alessandro Luigi Maggi of Sportando. 

Despite Banchero having verbally committed to Italy, he hadn’t officially declared he’d play for the nation. A player cannot back out of their national team selection once it’s made official. On Saturday, NBA insider Shams Charania reported that Banchero had selected Team USA over the Italian national team. 

“It was a legitimate decision, but he could have made a call to communicate that to us. Instead, we learned about his decision from the newspapers,” said Petrucci via Gazzetta dello Sport. “In the past few days, he was in Milan, and despite our agreements with his agency, he avoided the meeting with coach [Gianmarco] Pozzecco.”

Banchero gained Italian citizenship in 2020. At the time, he’d been vocal about his desire to play for Italy during the Tokyo Olympics, however those plans were scrapped due to COVID-19.

Banchero, 20, was the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and averaged 20.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists for the Magic.