NBA star Paolo Banchero issued a brutal message to a courtside fan after discovering they had placed a bet on his preseason game.
With the new NBA season just around the corner, preseason fixtures are well underway and, on Friday night, Banchero and the Magic took on the 76ers.
It ended in a blowout win for the Magic with Banchero dropping 13 points in 23 minutes on the way to their 128-98 victory over Philadelphia.
However, after the game, fans weren’t talking about Banchero’s skills on the court and, instead, discussed a viral moment between him and one fan sat courtside.
In a clip which has circulated X, a fan could be heard saying to Banchero: ‘C’mon Paolo! I need two more points! Two more points and I hit my parlay’.
Banchero turned around and said: ‘You’re betting on preseason bro? You’re addicted. It’s preseason bro, relax.’
Paolo Banchero told a fan they were ‘addicted’ after finding out they bet on a preseason game
Banchero helped the Magic secure a blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night
Another fan, also in the video, was visibly shocked at Banchero’s response.
As the clip went viral, fans began responding and many sided with the Magic star.
Taking to X, one wrote: ‘Paolo is right. Players are getting back into nba conditioning. No need to bet on preseason when the season is around the corner.
‘Plenty of time to get mad at players for messing up the parlay lol’.
Another said: ‘I believe spectators should be removed if they make gambling comments to players.’
Meanwhile, in a brief message, one said: ‘Well, he’s not wrong.’
On the night, Banchero made just 25 percent of his shots but still emerged as just one of five Magic players to score double digits against the 76ers.
During the offseason, Banchero put pen-to-paper on a sensational five-year, $239million maximum rookie contract extension that could one day reach $287m.
Fans were quick to side with the Magic star after the incident went viral on social media
ESPN, which first reported the agreement, claims the deal also includes a player option for the final year – the first time a rookie max extension has had a player option since 2021, when Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks completed their rookie max contracts.
The agreement means the Magic now have four players – Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and Desmond Bane – under contract for the next four seasons. And in the cases of the former trio, the terms extend out at least five seasons.
Banchero was the rookie of the year in 2022-23, living up to his billing after being the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He was an All-Star in his second season and was well on his way to that again last season before an early-season oblique injury.
He finished the season averaging 25.9 points and 7.5 rebounds, both career highs, and led the Magic to the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
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