'Dream Come True’: Paolo Banchero Reacts to Orlando Magic Selection

Banchero is officially in Orlando.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 23, 2022

'Dream Come True’: Paolo Banchero Reacts to Orlando Magic Selection /

ORLANDO - Orlando is the city where dreams come true. While most of those dreams come true at Disney World, it was the Orlando Magic who turned Paolo Banchero's dream into a reality by making him the first overall pick in the NBA Draft.

"It was a dream come true," Banchero said. "Really surreal moment ... It was a really great moment. I'll never forget it."

Banchero wasn't always expected to be the top pick. When Orlando was gifted the No. 1 pick at the lottery last month, many expected the Magic to choose either Chet Holmgren and Jabari Smith Jr., who went second and third respectively. However, betting odds for Banchero to become the top pick intensified over the past few days, and overnight, he became the favorite to be the Magic pick.

"My agent Mikey [Miller] was telling me to be ready," Banchero said. "Anything can happen."

Many believed Banchero was out of contention for the top pick because he did not complete a workout for the Magic, but team president Jeff Weltman said that the team had plenty of "touch points" with Banchero throughout the draft process.

"We've had several touch points with Paolo in live meetings, Zooms, and Paolo has been forthcoming in all of our protocols," Weltman said.

Even though he didn't complete an actual workout with the team, Banchero wasn't concerned about the possibility of going No. 1.

"I wasn't too worried about it," Banchero said. "Unfortunately I wasn't able to workout ... but I knew where I stood."

Now that he's officially a member of the Magic, Banchero looks forward to leading Orlando to its first NBA championship.

"Orlando deserves to be back in contention and competing for a championship."

Published Jun 23, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.