'It Means a Lot': Magic Forward Paolo Banchero on Winning Rookie of the Year

Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero spoke to the media Wednesday after being awarded the NBA's Rookie of the Year award.

© Mike Watters, USA TODAY

ORLANDO - Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero dreamed of winning the Rookie of the Year award years before being drafted. 

"It means a lot to me," Banchero said on Wednesday. "Towards the end of my high school career I started to kind of put my eyes on the NBA so I made a lot of goals that I wanted to achieve and Rookie of the Year was one of them."

And while Banchero was the clear favorite for a majority of the season, propelling Orlando to the postseason was his goal first and foremost. 

"I tried not to think about it," Banchero said. "I just tried to play every game to win, put the team first, put winning first and everything else I knew was going to take care of itself."

And while the Magic fell just short of the playoffs at 34-48, that does not take away from how dominant of a rookie campaign Banchero played.

Over 72 games this year, the Duke product averaged 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists, joining Blake Griffin, Michael Jordan, Grant Hill, Larry Johnson, Larry Bird, Walter David as the only first-year player since the NBA-ABA merger that has averaged at least 19 points, six rebounds and three assists - per ESPN. 

Banchero's 98 of 100 first-place votes places him in elite company, with Memphis Grizzlies star guard Ja Morant as the only rookies since 2017 with more votes. 

With the Rookie of the Year award, Banchero joins his agent Mike Miller and Hall of Fame center Shaquille O'Neal as the third winner in franchise history. 

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