Banchero and the no to Italy. “If there hadn’t been Covid…”

”Playing for the United States was a big dream of mine as a child”. They are the words of Paolo Bancaro who, just over a month before the World Cup in the Philippines, returns to the decision to wear the USA team jersey, pace Italy: ”Every single day I looked at the photo of my mother (Rhonda Smith, also a basketball player with a past in the stars and stripes national team) and I had the same goal”.

Banchero: ”Italy? Without Covid…”

Yet Banchero, big wing of the Orlando Magic, he was really one step away from choosing the Italian national team, having half of the family originally from Liguria. ” I was 17 when Italy contacted me, but Covid deprived me of the opportunity to play there: everything would have been different – ​​he says in an interview with Sky Sport -. It was a moment in my life when I felt I couldn’t pass up such an opportunity because my family on my dad’s side is Italian. I didn’t know much about my origins, so I thought it was a perfect way to get closer to that part of my lineage, which I’ve done in the last few years anyway-he explains-. I often always think about how different my life would have been if covid hadn’t taken away this possibility from me. After not playing there I went to Duke, had a great year, got the first overall pick and circumstances changed.” The coach also played a role in Banchero’s decision Mike KrzyzewskiUS basketball legend, who pushed him to give up on Italy: ”All those factors played a part in my decision, I had all these things in mind when I stopped to think about my future”.