Paolo Banchero

Banchero and Holmgren are expected to be two of the top-three picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. Their choice in jewelry seemed to reflect parts of their past, ...

But one thing isn't: Banchero and Holmgren are using their jewelry selection to show off their brand at the next level. It was his jewelry that drew the most attention, though; Banchero had a custom diamond-encrusted chain hanging around his neck. But it's all about the accessories; the glistening Patek Philippe watches and iced-out necklaces that cost six figures to acquire.

The Orlando Magic took Paolo Banchero first overall in the NBA draft, with Gonzaga big man Chet Holmgren going to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dieng was later traded to the Thunder. “That’s what I want to be.” Just ready to get in with the guys and get to work.

Paolo Banchero did not know, he said, that he would be the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft until about 20 seconds before commissioner Adam Silver announced the ...

He can’t defend, but the Magic figure to worry about that later. Certainly, not letting out the fact that Banchero would be going to Orlando appears to have been important to the Magic. We just don’t know why. Maybe there was some jockeying for position when it came to the No. 1 pick, and if the Magic front office was considering trading away the pick in the weeks since it won the lottery in May, it did well to conceal it. The Magic willingly allowed the narrative that Smith would go first to blossom and take hold around the league, such that even Banchero, as he said, had no idea what was coming until Silver was ready to call his name. It was only in the last few days, and on Wednesday in particular, that some cracks in that presumption showed. “I didn't find out, though, that I was actually getting picked until about 20 seconds before the commissioner got on the stage,” Banchero said.

The Orlando Magic stunned the NBA world by taking Paolo Banchero despite the Italian never working out for ...

The Magic took Shaquille O’Neal with the top selection in 1992. If history holds true, Banchero is going to have a long career in this league. “Our team got a lot better tonight," Weltman said. “And obviously, when you’re playing poker, you don’t put your cards on the table, right?" Choosing Banchero was a mild surprise, after weeks of speculation that Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr. or Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren might be the ones atop Orlando’s list. Banchero will make over $14 million next season, the start of his four-year rookie deal, plus whatever he lures in off-court earnings. He met with the Magic several times in recent weeks, taking part in everything from personality profiles to get-to-know-you interviews, and what happened in those sessions only steeled Orlando’s belief that he was the best pick. “I’m super excited to get out to Orlando," Banchero said. “We feel he was the best player in college basketball,” Magic president Jeff Weltman said. The Magic went 22-60 this past season. Banchero is heading to Orlando, with plans for his official welcome at his new home on Friday. “It was a really surreal moment."

Banchero was made aware just seconds before the pick was in that the Magic had taken him, and was moved to tears when it happened.

They have a lot of team guys like myself and I think I’ll fit right in with them. He is a hard worker, incredibly talented and we’re thrilled to add him to our team.” He will arrive in Central Florida on Friday and formally meet everyone within the organization, likely for the first time. “They have a lot of talent. “Hearing the commissioner call my name was a priceless moment,” Banchero said. “We feel he was the best player in college basketball and we feel that he will continue to grow every year for many years to come.

The top five picks of the NBA Draft turned out to be a relative shocker and may prove to be one of the more impactful drafts in NBA history.

But in their biggest moment in a generation on Thursday night, they twisted the future of the entire NBA — and fooled the rest of the league in doing so. The top five picks going on to be the five best guys, well that has never happened. That in mind, it's been a long time since the top of an NBA Draft felt this consequential. There's a reasonable chance the best player in this draft fell to them at No. 3. This was one of the more intriguing lead-ups into a draft in some time. In what could prove to be one of the most talented drafts in recent history, Orlando and Sacramento — two franchises that have been bad seemingly for generations — subverted expectations and gave us mayhem. If Smith hits huge and becomes the best player, it's not unreasonable we could look up in 2027 and see the Rockets competing for NBA Finals appearances while the Thunder and Magic are still picking in the lottery. Has this ever happened in the history of the draft? Will the Banchero and Murray picks prove to be savvy, or will those decisions backfire on the two notoriously underperforming franchises that made them? Ever since the night of the lottery, May 17, it seemed all the momentum was behind the idea that the Magic were going to go with convention and take Smith at No. 1. The beautiful commotion of all of this is: we don't know. Despite the fact that — as we previously laid out right here — the debate over who should go No. 1 was as compelling as we'd seen in years.

Banchero didn't even have an official visit or go through a workout with the Magic during the pre-draft process.

... I didn't know I would be here, man." The Magic kicked off Thursday night's event by selecting Duke's Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 overall pick, blowing up several mock drafts that predicted Auburn's Jabari Smith Jr. and Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren would be the first two players off the board. 7:55 p.m. ET — Banchero is suddenly "looming as the frontrunner" to be the top pick. 8:15 p.m. ET — The Magic make it official. 8:09 p.m. ET — Oh, so this is really happening. 8:41 a.m. ET — Wojnarowski reports that the order of the first three picks — Smith, Holmgren and Banchero — is growing "increasingly firm."

Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren went No. 2 to Oklahoma City and Houston selected Auburn's Jabari Smith at No. 3. Follow along for live updates.

Most tweets probably wouldn't have been very complimentary after the Magic selected a lanky high school kid named Dwight Howard over UConn's national- ...

Thats one of the things the league is looking for— Pat Welter WRAL (@PatrickWelter) June 24, 2022 The best player in his draft class.— The Brotherhood (@BrotherhoodCBB) Magic's Jeff Weltman: The thing about Paolo is there isnt one thing. Paolo Banchero gives the Magic a 6-10 big with versatile scoring from inside and outside. He can drive with power finesse, plus he’s a creative passer off the dribble. -— Dan Savage (@Dan_Savage) @OrlandoMagicPresident of Basketball Operations Jeff Weltman on keeping the pick close to the vest. "When you're playing poker, you don't put your cards on the table, right?" Banchero has been our No. 1 prospect all year because he’s the best shot creator in the class. Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! #MagicTogether pic.twitter.com/1Ud7Yf7B8L June 24, 2022 And how these players develop over the next few years will make most tweets look idiotic, and perhaps some prophetic. Paolo Banchero is a Orlando Magic— Orlando Magic (@OrlandoMagic) @SociosUSAx #MagicDraft pic.twitter.com/gxFVzl1Rl3 June 24, 2022 — James D. Jackson (@JamesDJackson15)— James D. Jackson (@JamesDJackson15) #Thunderfans reaction to the Orlando Magic taking Paolo Banchero with the No. 1 pick in the #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/wdBcGJWXyP June 24, 2022

Magic make Paolo Banchero their first pick, where next for Kyrie Irving if he nixes the Nets, and Aaron Judge proves his worth ahead of arbitration hearing.

The 19-year-old from Duke seen as a shock at number one pick on a night of surprises. Here's why the selection made waves in Italy.

12) Jalen Williams, SG, picked by Oklahoma City Thunder (from Clippers) Here are the top first round picks. "I'm proud to wear the Azzurri jersey," he added, "I will never forget when I received it for the first time. Orlando had the first pick. He eventually went third to the Houston Rockets. Here's why the selection made waves in Italy.

No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero said he's very familiar with lofty expectations, having faced them "my whole life."

"But we also understand, when you walk into this building, you're an Orlando Magic and there's a standard and a set of things that we're going to need to do night in and night out to make everyone successful." "It was a great job of them doing the due diligence and keeping it quiet," Miller said. Mosley -- who will run some practices going into Summer League, but will leave the game responsibilities in Las Vegas to Magic assistant Jesse Mermuys -- said he doesn't intend to coach Banchero any differently than any other player. "There are just so many things that go into this," Magic president Jeff Weltman said. But something that set Banchero apart, in their eyes, was the way Orlando believes he makes the game easier for teammates. Summer League practice awaits, and Banchero and second-round pick Caleb Houstan of Michigan both intend to play. But the actual timetable on when they made the decision to take him No. 1 remains a secret. What happens over the next few days will be a whirlwind. Banchero arrived in Orlando on Friday, one day after his name got permanently etched on the list of No. 1 draft picks. "There's things that you're grabbing from each one that you're like, 'Oh, man, wow, that can be great for us,'" Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. The Magic looked at every option with the No. 1 pick. Mike Miller, Banchero's agent, leaned over and broke the news by simply saying "Congratulations."

Duke' freshman forward Paolo Banchero rose up draft boards Thursday night to become the unexpected number one overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft.

That’s going to be a great addition to our team.” He’ll also be a great playmaker, decision maker, and he’s a giver and a distributor. “That’s the one thing we’ve constantly talked about is the versatility and the ability to play both sides of the ball.

No. 1 pick Paolo Banchero said he's very familiar with lofty expectations, having faced them "my whole life."

"But we also understand, when you walk into this building, you're an Orlando Magic and there's a standard and a set of things that we're going to need to do night in and night out to make everyone successful." "It was a great job of them doing the due diligence and keeping it quiet," Miller said. Mosley -- who will run some practices going into Summer League, but will leave the game responsibilities in Las Vegas to Magic assistant Jesse Mermuys -- said he doesn't intend to coach Banchero any differently than any other player. "There are just so many things that go into this," Magic president Jeff Weltman said. But something that set Banchero apart, in their eyes, was the way Orlando believes he makes the game easier for teammates. Summer League practice awaits, and Banchero and second-round pick Caleb Houstan of Michigan both intend to play. But the actual timetable on when they made the decision to take him No. 1 remains a secret. What happens over the next few days will be a whirlwind. Banchero arrived in Orlando on Friday, one day after his name got permanently etched on the list of No. 1 draft picks. "There's things that you're grabbing from each one that you're like, 'Oh, man, wow, that can be great for us,'" Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. The Magic looked at every option with the No. 1 pick. Mike Miller, Banchero's agent, leaned over and broke the news by simply saying "Congratulations."