LeBron Praises 'Exceptional' Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero

Orlando Magic top pick Paolo Banchero played LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time in his career Tuesday. While the results weren't what he wanted, Banchero still earned kind words from James.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 28, 2022

LeBron Praises 'Exceptional' Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero /

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero didn't put his best foot forward in his first-ever meeting against his "idol" LeBron James.

Banchero scored a season-low four points as he dealt with foul trouble in Tuesday's loss at home against the Los Angeles Lakers.

But that hasn't taken away from his Rookie of the Year campaign and the numbers he's put up, which hasn't been seen since LeBron's rookie season 19 years ago.

LeBron has kept tabs on Banchero ever since the two met in the summer at the CrawsOver Pro-Am event in Seattle ... and the King is impressed.

"He's been exceptional," James said. "Playing great ball, [he's] been a three-level scorer so far in this league. He's only going to get better and better. Every game he'll get better and better. All these experiences is just really good for him."

LeBron even went as far to compare him to the legendary draft picks the Magic has made in the past, putting him on the same level as other Orlando icons.

"They got a good one," James said. "Great kid too. They've got a great one in Orlando. They've had some really really good picks in their drafts. They got Shaq, they got Dwight, now you see him. They've done really well."

Banchero also drew a compliment from Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, who called him a "hell of a player" in the post-game press conference.

Even though Banchero didn't deliver against the Lakers, he has an opportunity to redeem himself tonight against the Detroit Pistons. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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Published Dec 28, 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.