The Orlando Magic and their fans had been waiting a long, long time for this night. Not months, but years.
Years of losing, rebuilding and tanking all led to this moment, where the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft took the court in an Orlando Magic uniform. Paolo Banchero, a 19-year-old the Magic hope develops into their newest franchise player, showed that he could be just that by scoring 27 points in Orlando’s 113-109 loss to the host Detroit Pistons.
He took and made his first shot on the first possession of the game, showing some footwork in the paint and hitting a baby hook for the first points of his career.