Team USA won a recruiting battle this week, securing the commitment of current NBA Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero to play in this summer's FIBA World Cup, sources confirmed to ESPN.
The Orlando Magic star was previously verbally committed to playing for Italy Once a player selects a national team to play for they can't switch.
It raises the stakes for this decision, especially in an era of higher competition on the world basketball stage that is expected to show at the World Cup in August in Manila, Philippines.
One of the biggest dramas in international basketball, for example, will play out in the coming months as current Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid considers whether he will play in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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