Who is Paolo Banchero in NBA 2K? Looking at the Duke University freshman who's the first college player to feature in the game

Duke Blue Devils’ Paolo Banchero has made history by becoming the first ever college basketball player to feature on an NBA 2K game after being included in NBA 2K22. Paolo Banchero has, as a result, become the first real college player ever that NBA 2K22 players will be able to play as.

The player is an automatic selection in the in-game 2022 NBA draft and appears as a player in the MyCareer mode in NBA 2K22. In this article, we look at his overall profile and whether he is actually expected to be the no. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

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Who is Paolo Banchero in NBA 2K22? Looking at the first college player to ever feature in an NBA 2K game

Paolo Banchero is currently contracted with the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference and was one of the highest rated players in the 2021 class. Banchero has till date not played a single game for the Duke Blue Devils and initially received offers from a range of top NCAA Division 1 programs.

Duke’s @Pp_doesit becomes the first college player in @NBA2K.The NIL deal puts the @DukeMBB freshman and prospective No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft right into NBA 2K22.#2KDay https://t.co/CKgBziuO4r

— Boardroom (@boardroom) September 10, 2021

This included Kentucky and Washington, and he announced on August 20th, 2020 his commitment to play for Duke. At 6 feet 9”, Bonchero is expected to be a high-lottery pick in the 2022 NBA draft, and his development over the past couple of seasons in college basketball has led to NBA 2K22 offering him a deal to feature in the latest iteration of the series.

Earlier, players who wanted to add college stars to various game modes in NBA 2K had to either download rosters in the form of updates created by other users, or had to simply create the player for themselves. While that option is still available, it does not allow players to create realistic versions of the prospects.

Luka Doncic is the chief cover star in NBA 2K22.

Currently, not a lot of information has been released in relation to the deal that exists between NBA 2K22 and Paolo Banchero. While Banchero has been offered high-money contracts by various G-League alternatives, he decided to play for Duke for another season before becoming available for the 2022 NBA draft.

While he has been confirmed to be a playable character in the game, it is currently unclear as to what game modes the player will be available for in NBA 2K22.