The Magic Insider

'It's Lit': Magic Rookie Paolo Banchero Excited to Play With Childhood Idols

Banchero has some hometown ties with a few of his teammates.

Jeremy Brener

Brad Penner/USA Today Sports
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ORLANDO - Orlando Magic rookie Paolo Banchero is over 2,000 miles away from his hometown of Seattle, but he has a couple pieces of home with him in Central Florida.

Banchero isn't the only player on the Magic roster with connections to the pacific northwest. His teammates, Terrence Ross and Markelle Fultz, played for the University of Washington in college and tweeted about how he used to watch them as a kid.

Ross, the longest-tenured member of the Magic, played for the Washington Huskies from 2010-12 and was the 8th overall pick of the 2012 NBA Draft. Fultz spent one season in Washington and was drafted first overall in the 2017 NBA Draft.

Banchero's mom Rhonda played for Washington as a basketball player herself from 1991-95, and was the program's all-time leading scorer once she graduated. Her record stood for nearly a decade before it was broken.

Banchero was expected to also join Washington as one of the top recruits in the 2021 high school class, but he opted to join the Duke Blue Devils.

It can be difficult being so far from home with all the expectations placed on Banchero, but with a couple small pieces of home with him, the No. 1 overall pick can be slightly more at ease.

Banchero is set to make his NBA debut in less than six weeks on Oct. 19 against the Detroit Pistons.

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Jeremy Brener
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.

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