Magic PF Paolo Banchero, Team USA to Face Italy

Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero nearly played for Team Italy. Instead, he'll line up for Team USA against them in the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals.

Jeremy Brener | Sep 4, 2023

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ORLANDO - The United States men's national team is set to face off against Team Italy in the quarterfinals of the FIBA World Cup on Tuesday. Team USA/Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero is very familiar with his opponent.

The matchup comes after a long back-and-forth decision between whether Banchero would play for the United States or Italy. Banchero is eligible to play for both because his mom was born in the U.S., while his dad was born in Italy.

Paolo Banchero — Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

“You’ve got to pick one or the other," Banchero said via Ben Golliver. "Someone’s going to be left out. … It was a hard decision but it had to be made, and hopefully it was no hard feelings. … I feel like respect was shown on both sides.”

Banchero was projected to be suiting up for the Italy at the FIBA World Cup - even stating that he would've played for them in 2020 had it not been for COVID-19. However, the former No. 1 opted to stay for the United States ahead of this summer’s World Cup.

Italian Basketball Federation president Gianni Petrucci wasn't a fan of the decision.

“Betrayal, especially in basketball, is a strong word," Petrucci said. "Situations like this happen, and personally, I’m used to it. But he fooled us. We were planning a great commercial strategy for him. Now, we need to turn this disappointment into positive energy. I’m sure our coach will be able to do it.”

Banchero and the rest of Team USA plays against Italy at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday. The game can be watched on ESPN2 or ESPN+.

Published Sep 4, 2023

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.