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Italian-American Paolo Banchero was named the NBA’s Rookie of the Year on Tuesday. The Orlando Magic forward won the award over fellow finalists Jalen Williams and Walker Kessler. He secured 98 out of 100 first-place votes. A 6-10 forward out of Duke, Banchero averaged 20 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.7 assists in 72 games. He experienced typical rook...

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The van did not have air conditioning but it had enough in the summer of 1982 to make it across the country. Marc Iavaroni bought the stick-shift Ford Econoline 150 for $8,100 and drove it to California clinging to his dream. He had been cut by three teams, spent three seasons in Italy, and had yet to play an NBA game four years after being drafted...

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It’s Dec. 7 at Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City. The Utah Jazz trail the defending NBA champions Golden State Warriors by one with 6.9 seconds left on the clock. On the ensuing inbounds pass, Nickeil Alexander-Walker swarms Jordan Poole, stripping the ball loose. It trickles to Malik Beasley, who scoops it off the hardwood, runs the floor and finds a...

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In theory, Paolo Banchero would be the future flagbearer of the Italian national team, but the expected-to-be NBA rookie of the year may have other plans after all. Talking to the “Knuckleheads” podcast of former players Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles, Banchero opened the door for the possibility to play in the USA national team. When asked if...

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While the strength of Italian and European basketball continues to make leaps and bounds compared to the global competition, when he was growing up in the Italian town of Graffignana in the 1980s and 90s, veteran Boston Celtics forward Danilo Gallinari was not exactly awash in a sea of high-level basketball. But he has fond memories of that part of...

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As winter begins to thaw, and the start of spring arrives, a certain segment of the American population usually begins to experience a familiar type of “madness” as the second most popular sporting event of the year hits the airwaves. But did you know that college basketball might not annually grip the nation with “March Madness” had it not been fo...

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The Utah Jazz forward Simone Fontecchio made a jump to the NBA and found his role in the team, even though it's rather limited. In an interview with Eleven Sports, the 27-year-old Italian talked about his experience in the US. "When there are some difficulties, the key is to have patience. Since this is my first year in the NBA, I knew that were go...

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The Upside Down of March Madness is the annual coaching carousel where failing basketball programs desperately try to identify a winner who can return them to glory. There are always a few hot, coveted coaching prospects out there. Rarely has there been such a sure thing on the market. There is one now. He just happens to be 70 years old and freshl...

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For Anthony Rocchio, human encounters and connections were more than an opportunity to forge new friendships. They were a cause for celebration. Rocchio’s natural gift for engaging others and wanting to learn about them brought him his greatest joy in life, says his family. “He celebrated other people and their lives,” said his oldest daughter, Ann...

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Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero has been named the Kia NBA’s Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for February 2023. It is the third straight time that he has earned the league’s monthly honor. Banchero joins Shaquille O’Neal as the only players in franchise history to be named the league’s Rookie of the Month in three consecutive months. O’...

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