{"id":814405,"date":"2024-08-16T11:01:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-16T15:01:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/?p=814405"},"modified":"2024-09-18T16:30:20","modified_gmt":"2024-09-18T20:30:20","slug":"paolo-banchero-air-jordan-39-kicks-27-cover-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/kicks\/paolo-banchero-air-jordan-39-kicks-27-cover-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Refined Elegance: Paolo Banchero Covers SLAM KICKS 27 with the Air Jordan 39"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The interior is thumping. The backpack that sits at his feet shakes from the vibrations pouring out the car door speakers. CD cases rattle in the console below his left elbow. It\u2019s 2011 and Paolo Banchero is riding around in his dad\u2019s car on a gloomy Seattle afternoon. They could be heading to practice, grabbing a bite to eat or simply running errands. But no matter what, one constant remains. It\u2019s Jay-Z\u2019s 2006 album, Kingdom Come<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soulful piano keys of \u201cLost One.\u201d The bellowing horns and drum breaks on \u201cShow Me What You Got.\u201d The screaming high hats from \u201cOh My God.\u201d These are the sounds of Paolo Banchero\u2019s education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJay-Z was one of the first rappers I ever heard in my life,\u201d Paolo says. \u201cThat was when I was growing into my own, just as a kid, as a player. So that CD was always on in the car. I heard it countless times, just running it through, and I just grew to love it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SLAM KICKS 27 featuring Paolo Banchero is available now.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Glance at Hov\u2019s discography of album covers. Then watch the way Paolo plays the game. It\u2019s an eerily similar sight. Dimly-lit backdrops and a polished getup. There\u2019s a suave commotion going on. A don-like figure stands center stage with thousands of eyes thrust upon his every move. In turn, the figure speaks an eloquent truth. Both words\u2014and pivots in the post\u2014tell the tale of one wise beyond their years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paolo Banchero is here. His days as a Blue Devil are gone. That Rookie of the Year award is off in the distance. He\u2019s dropping 30 on ya head, denting defenders\u2019 chests with his shoulder and towing the Orlando Magic back to the playoffs, with the Air Jordan 39 on his feet. Rarified opulence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paolo may have grown up a Hov disciple, but the self-proclaimed music connoisseur is an old soul with an ear for the new school. By February of the 2023-24 season, the soon-to-be All-Star realized he had strayed too far from his roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI just caught myself listening to the same music, kind of getting bored of it,\u201d Paolo says. \u201cAnd so I was like, Man, I ain\u2019t listening to Jay-Z! <\/em>I was like, Why am I not listening to Jay-Z? I\u2019ve been listening to all this for months.<\/em> I\u2019m like, Man, I need to go tap back in.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

He did a bit more than just tap back in. Just like he did with the stack of CDs in his pop\u2019s car, Paolo was swiping through the legends in his music library in search of that old shit. The throwbacks. The music that nurtured his soul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between the last two months of the regular season and through all seven games of the Magic\u2019s opening round playoff series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Paolo was shuffling through nothing but Lil Wayne, Jay, Nas and Jeezy. \u201cI felt like it gave me a new energy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pelicans got served a 20-point triple-double in late March. Then there were the back-to-back 32-pieces on the road in early April. Jalen Duren got as close as humanly possible to contest Paolo\u2019s step-back jumper, but Banchero still hit the game-winner back in February. And to close it out, a 26-point double-double to clinch the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference with a dub over the Milwaukee Bucks in the regular season finale.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t the stuff of a typical second season. His numbers\u201422.6 points, 6.9 boards and 5.4 dimes a night\u2014weren\u2019t just an increase in production from year one. We all watched as Paolo took that next step in a future superstar\u2019s career. And he did it in year 2. Wayne\u2019s rhymes, Jay\u2019s tone and Nas\u2019 cadence all fueled the master class that unfolded before our eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the week of practice leading up to the Magic\u2019s first postseason appearance since 2020, Paolo switched everything up. Lil Baby turned to Lil Wayne. The braids that were once tied to each side of his head were now in tightly bound cornrows. And the slew of Jordan Luka 2 PEs he\u2019d been wearing throughout the season were swapped out for the pair that sits boldly on these pages, the Air Jordan 39.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Those at the AdventHealth Training Center out in Orlando in April got the first look at the sleek mid-top solution in the wild. For days, Paolo couldn\u2019t take \u2019em off. The Air Jordan 39\u2019s cushioning set-up is fueled by the same magic that propelled Eliud Kipchoge\u2019s world-record marathon time and Mike\u2019s fifth championship in the Air Jordan XII. Combining that full-length ZoomX foam with Air Zoom cushioning became an addictive feeling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOnce I put the shoe on, though, that was when I was like, It’s over. I gotta be in these.<\/em> I told Sam [Druffel, Paolo\u2019s sports marketing rep at Jordan Brand] this 39 is their best work in my opinion. As long as I’ve been with the brand, it’s their best work. It\u2019s a super comfortable shoe, I love wearing it,\u201d Paolo says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That love eventually turned into us seeing the 39 earlier than even the brand had planned. Paolo was diggin\u2019 the sig so much, he asked the team out in Beaverton if he could be the one to debut the model in Game 1 of the playoffs. With a game that so effortlessly paralleled the silhouette\u2019s ethos, the answer was a resounding hell yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 39th iteration of Michael Jordan\u2019s signature sneaker began with Mike\u2019s infamous cross-step. From his three-dribble rule that forced the offense to create art within simple parameters to the fluid footwork that left defenders stuck in the mud, the foundation of Michael Jordan\u2019s game lay in trusting that simplicity. It\u2019s why there\u2019s only nine colorways set to release from now through next spring. It\u2019s why the haptic print upper, the textured tongue and the tumbled leather toe box are most prominent amidst a sea of hidden premium tech. The Air Jordan 39 is the epitome of refined elegance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The essence of clarified minimalism that permeates around the Air Jordan 39 is exactly why Paolo is leading the charge for the game shoe. His movements on the block and in transition are that of a calculated craftsman. A polished spaceship hardwired with a jet engine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow can I get to the basket or make a play without taking seven or eight dribbles?<\/em> I think in the playoffs, that was what I really honed in on and realized,\u201d Paolo says. \u201cThat was something that I knew coming into the playoffs\u2014I was going to have to make a lot of mid-range shots. I was going to have to shoot catch-and-shoot threes. I was going to have to take what the defense gives me and basically cut the fat from my game and just be as efficient as I could.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The triple-white \u201cSol\u201d colorway\u2014marked with a dash of red at the tongue\u2019s Jumpman logo\u2014rode with Paolo through a combined 45 points in the first two games of the series.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt felt like I was floating. Obviously, I’m a big guy. I play with a lot of force, I cut a lot, I jump, and there’s just a lot of force being thrown around in my shoes,\u201d Paolo says. \u201cBut those shoes, I don’t feel limited at all. I feel like I can make any movement, any cut. I can put however much force I need to into the shoe, and it’ll hold up. It just performed really well. I think I noticed it right away. Sometimes, a shoe feels stiff or a shoe feels too narrow and stuff like that. I think there was just a sense of freedom when I was in the 39 where I felt like I could move and do anything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 6-10 and 250 pounds, Paolo is a walking force of nature, yet he glides across the hardwood with an unmatched fluidity. Getting bullied is unavoidable. Every team knows it. It\u2019s why they routinely pack the paint and force him to operate in the midrange any chance they get. But that\u2019s where the magic happens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In that seven-game playoff series, Paolo was straight spot hunting. He wasn\u2019t taking half the shot clock to break his guy down or analyze the rotations. Everything was an instinctive reaction. If he drove toward the paint and saw bodies, he was pulling for a middie. If he saw the slightest crack of daylight, he was absorbing contact and dishing to the open shooter. If they sagged off at the top of the key, hand down, man down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He wasn\u2019t worried about the stats, wasn\u2019t worried about the percentages. He \u201cjust wanted to do whatever it took to win and get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat whole series, I progressed and I learned every game. The first two we lost and everyone thought we weren’t ready, and Cleveland was talking a bunch of smack, saying we were kids,\u201d Paolo says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last thing that Paolo Banchero is is a kid. Scratch that. It\u2019s not even in the vocabulary. We all watched the same maturation this year. The Magic may have dropped their first two games in the playoffs, but in Game 3? The production that played in the background of those car rides with Dad started to emerge in the back of his mind. Back to the basics. A surgical 31 points through three quarters. Jumpers met nylon. Fadeaways stood unbothered. Getting to the rim was the regimen. Drop-steps were imposing. The Magic pulled Paolo before the fourth up by more than 30.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Game 5 featured 39 points on 57 percent shooting from three. Game 6 consisted of 27, 10 of \u2019em in the fourth to tie the series at three a piece. \u201cThat was just dope to do in front of the fans, in front of the home crowd, just to be able to protect home court like that,\u201d Paolo says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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From October to early May, sellouts at Kia Center became common practice. For the first time in what feels like a long time, there\u2019s a bonafide superstar wearing the Magic blue. He rocks with the old and the new. He\u2019s laser focused on his growth. And since the season wrapped, he\u2019s been back in his hometown of Seattle, surrounded by the love, comfort and inspiration that raised him. He\u2019s been refining his tools, trusting his instincts and evolving every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I first got to Orlando, there weren\u2019t a lot of expectations for the team, and so there were a lot of expectations for me. But I wanted to have that rub off on the team. I wanted it to be team success. I wanted people to come back and start coming to the games,\u201d Paolo says. \u201cSo it’s just been awesome seeing the fan base grow, obviously, the organization grow, us just getting more serious and being in the playoffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut now I think it\u2019s time to transition, kind of from that beginner stage of success and being happy about having success. Now, we’re trying to be one of the household names of the East and of the League. That’s not going to be easy\u2014I know that, we all know that\u2014but I think we’re all ready for it and we’re all excited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2023-24 season saw Paolo storm the Magic Kingdom, take the throne and reveal a path to immediate success for an entire organization. The time of chipping away at the end of the tunnel is over. The lights are shining bright, the expectations are thunderous and the hopes of an entire fan base rest upon his shoulders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think eventually, when it’s all said and done, I’ll look back to my second year, last year, and kind of look at it as the start,\u201d Paolo says. \u201cThat was kind of the start of something special.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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SHOP<\/strong> MAG + TEES<\/strong><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Portraits by Marcus Stevens. Action Photos via Getty Images.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The interior is thumping. The backpack that sits at his feet shakes from the vibrations pouring out the car door speakers. CD cases rattle in the console below his left elbow. It\u2019s 2011 and Paolo Banchero is riding around in his dad\u2019s car on a gloomy Seattle afternoon. They could be heading to practice, grabbing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":448,"featured_media":814421,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65271],"tags":[3311,65273,62525,64260,65272,104,63857],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-814405","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-kicks","category-kicks-27","tag-air-jordan","tag-air-jordan-39","tag-feature-1","tag-kicks","tag-kicks-27","tag-orlando-magic","tag-paolo-banchero"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814405","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/448"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=814405"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":814422,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/814405\/revisions\/814422"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/814421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=814405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=814405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=814405"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.slamonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=814405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}