Paolo Banchero has funny reason for wearing purple to draft

Former Duke Blue Devils forward Paolo Banchero is set to be one of the first players off the board. Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Paolo Banchero has funny reason for wearing bold purple suit to NBA draft

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 6/23/22

None of Paolo Banchero’s likely destinations feature purple prominently in their color scheme, but that did not stop the potential top-three pick from wearing the color to the NBA Draft on Thursday.

Banchero arrived at the draft wearing an eye-catching purple suit, and the choice was apparently intentional. The Seattle native admitted that his parents had wanted him to go to Washington, where they had both attended college. Banchero instead wound up at Duke, and his decision to wear Huskies colors on draft night was like an "I’m sorry.”

Paolo Banchero — who grew up in Seattle, WA — showed up to the #NBADraft2022 in a purple suit.

“I wore this color cause everyone gave my parents some heat for me not going to UW where they went so this was like a I’m sorry.”https://t.co/VBrMggCxbw pic.twitter.com/6MuwgJsHkR

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) June 23, 2022

Banchero’s parents got a pretty good compromise out of this. Sure, Banchero will be remembered as a Duke player, but all his draft-night photos will feature him in Washington colors.

Based on reports, we already know where Banchero is set to wind up Thursday. The purple won’t fit anymore, but he’s getting the most out of it on draft night.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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