With the 2023 FIBA World Cup not too far away now, Paolo Banchero had a big decision to make, whether to represent Italy or the USA.
Banchero ultimately chose Team USA , and it is a decision that hasn’t sat too well with the Italian Federation. Their president Gianni Petrucci blasted Banchero as he was disappointed with how the 20-year-old acted in the lead-up to the decision.
“It was a legitimate decision, but he could have made a call to communicate that to us. Instead, we learned about his decision from the newspapers,” Petrucci told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “In the past few days, he was in Milan, and despite our agreements with his agency, he avoided the meeting with coach Pozzecco.”
“Betrayal, especially in basketball, is a strong word,” Petrucci continued. “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.”
Safe to say that bridge has been completely burned at this point. Banchero was eligible to play for them as he has Italian roots on his father’s side and he received his Italian passport back in 2020. This indeed is a huge blow to the Italians, as Banchero could have been their big star.
He had a terrific rookie season in 2022-23 for the Orlando Magic, averaging 20.0 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 3.7 APG, 0.8 SPG, and 0.5 BPG as he won Rookie of the Year. His talents would have greatly benefited the Italians, but they will now be put to use for Team USA.
Paolo Banchero Had Previously Expressed Interest In Playing For Italy
The reason why this would have hurt the Italians just that little bit more is that Banchero had spoken in the past about wanting to play for them. During an appearance on RJ Hampton’s podcast last year, he even stated he planned to play for Italy.
“When I was 16, the Italian national team reached out to my dad,” Banchero said. “… They were like, ‘Yo, He’s Italian? Can he get citizenship?’ And then my dad was like, ‘Yeah, he can.’… (I) plan on playing for the Italian national team, not sure when.”
(starts at 23:19 mark):
The Italians clearly had their eye on Banchero for a while, and comments like that would have made them believe he would play for them. Banchero is obviously entitled to change his stance at any point, but you can’t blame the Italians for not being too pleased.
If he does get to face Italy at the World Cup, he can expect quite a frosty reception from fans and his opponents.
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