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LA Lakers superstar LeBron James showed some love to Duke's Paolo Banchero last year. With Banchero inching closer to his NBA dream, he revealed his admiration for "The King." The potential first pick told reporters that he loves watching James' game film.
In a pre-draft news conference, Banchero explained his knack for watching film to improve his game. The 19-year-old prospect added that LeBron's game film is his favorite. He acknowledged that James has countless highlights in his legendary career.
"I just love watching highlights ever since I was a young kid," Banchero said. "High school, college, NBA, it don't matter. I'll say my favorite, though, is probably LeBron. There's just so many different eras, highlights you can watch.
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"You can go watch from his high school days, rookie, mid-way through his career. He got like three different primes, so there's a lot of content you can watch."
Paolo Banchero was also asked about his favorite LeBron James moment. Banchero was quick to respond with one of James' legendary performances.
"I would say Game 6 against Boston in 2012, that game," Banchero said.
Banchero alluded to James' 45-point explosion in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals. With the Miami Heat facing elimination, LeBron willed his team to a 98-75 win to force Game 7.
He added 15 rebounds and five assists to his masterpiece. He also shot 19-for-26 and was nearly unstoppable.
It was the turning point of James' career as the Heat won Game 7 to advance to the NBA Finals. "The King" got the monkey off his back as he won the first title of his career. He would go on to win three more titles, with a chance of adding more before retiring.
LeBron James is a fan of Paolo Banchero
Paolo Banchero is one of the best young players entering this year's draft. LeBron James is a big fan of Banchero, and "The King" appeared excited to see the prospect last season. James shared a photo of Banchero preparing for a game on his Instagram account.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Banchero is expected to be selected third in Thursday's draft.
The Duke product will likely become part of the Houston Rockets' rebuilding plan. The Rockets have already traded Christian Wood to the Dallas Mavericks to free up space for Banchero and sophomore center Alperen Sengun.
Banchero averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists in his lone season in Durham. He's one of the best players in the nation. He is a natural scorer, but his defense and shooting can still improve. The only knock on Banchero is his reported sweating problem, as per Bryan Kalbrosky of USA Today.
"The Blue Devils ran a sweat test on Banchero and learned that he loses seven pounds of sweat per game," Kalbrosky wrote. "Apparently, because this plays a role in his cramping, the program's sports medicine department is having him drink an oxygenated fluid.
"That will help him avoid having to leave the floor with cramps as often as he has had to thus far."
