Duke鈥檚 Paolo Banchero is leaping to the NBA after one season as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall draft pick.
The 6-foot-10, 250-pound freshman Wednesday, with the school saying he planned to hire an agent.
鈥淚t has always been a dream of mine to play at Duke, and it has always been a dream of mine to play in the NBA,鈥� Banchero said. "Duke has prepared me for that on and off the court. ... It has been a great journey and I鈥檓 blessed to be a part of The Brotherhood for life.鈥�
even before he stepped foot on the Durham, North Carolina, campus from Seattle. Blessed with a strong frame, size and perimeter skills, Banchero went on to become a third-team All-America pick by the The Associated Press, and ranks No. 2 in ESPN's latest list of draft prospects.
The headliner on a talented recruiting class, Banchero averaged 17.2 points and 7.8 rebounds, cracking the 20-point mark 15 times while failing to reach double figures only twice in 39 games. He helped Duke reach now-retired Hall of Famer Mike Krzyzewski鈥檚 record 13th Final Four while also winning the program鈥檚 first outright Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title since 2006.
In a statement from the school, Krzyzewski said Banchero is 鈥渁bsolutely ready to attack the next phase" of his career.
鈥淗e is so dynamic, explosive and versatile 鈥� a model player in today鈥檚 NBA game. He did whatever we asked at a very high level,鈥� Krzyzewski said. "I loved having him and his family in our program and wish him all the best as his professional career begins.鈥�
with endorsements, which began last summer with the NCAA permitted athletes to profit from use of their name, image and likeness (NIL).
In Banchero鈥檚 case, he worked with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for marketing deals and got deals that included becoming the first player featured in the latest NBA 2K video game as well as a basketball trading card from Panini as part of a multi-year deal.
Now he's off to make even more money in the NBA.
Banchero is the second Duke player to announce an early jump to the NBA, following 7-foot-1 sophomore Mark Williams two days earlier.
