Team USA, ticks off Paolo Banchero’s childhood dream
The 2023 Basketball World Cup is scheduled to start next Aug. 25
As everyone is now aware, after a long tug of war, Banchero decided to accept GM Hill’s proposal and be part of Team USA. The dream of seeing him in the jersey of the national team coached by CT Pozzecco faded at the photo finish. A choice that has puzzled especially FIP President Petrucci, who would have preferred to know directly from Banchero and not through the media.
La Gazzetta dello Sport reported some lines from the first pick of the 2022 NBA Draft that say a lot about his desire for Team USA: “Every day I would see hanging in my house that picture of the U.S. team my mother (Rhonda Smith, ed.) played on. It was one of my childhood dreams to play with the United States.”
In short, Italy was probably always the second choice for the All Star in Orlando and, in fact, for Team USA at the upcoming World Cup, scheduled for August 25 to September 10, 2023.
