How Tough Love (And Disrespect) Fueled Paolo Banchero

ESPN

On the eve of the 2024 playoffs, a tiger was lying in wait. Duke’s latest powerhouse product, Paolo Banchero, of Seattle AAU fame now full on Orlando’s boundless magic was headed for a collision with the rest of the league. He didn’t like how he was cast, that he hadn’t been on enough national television games, that he wasn’t seen in the same likes as the rest of the stars of basketball. He aimed to show the world that he was just as good as anyone else, and Orlando would be his proving ground. I spent a week in Florida trying to get a hold of the hype.

Photography by Devin Christopher for ESPN

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