Magic's Paolo Banchero Says He Loved Duke but Felt Like 'Zoo Animal' There

Paolo Banchero apparently wasn't a fan of all the attention he received as a student during his lone season at Duke.

Appearing on The Young Person Basketball Podcast with R.J. Hampton (h/t TMZ Sports), Banchero said there were times last year the then-freshman felt like "a zoo animal" because he would see people in classes "whispering about you" and "staring at you."

The Orlando Magic rookie recalled one time when another student brought their family to his dorm to see him.

"I open my door and it's a mom, dad, their daughter who goes to Duke and, like, their little brother," Banchero explained. "And, I'm just like, 'Damn.'"

Despite the intrusion on his life away from Cameron Indoor Stadium, Banchero did speak well of his time with the Blue Devils.

"I definitely enjoyed it," he said.

There were a lot of expectations put on Banchero's shoulders when he committed to Duke. The Seattle native was a 5-star prospect and No. 2 overall prospect in the 2021 recruiting class, per 247Sports composite rankings.

Banchero led the Blue Devils in scoring average (17.2 points per game) and rebounds (7.8) in 39 games. He helped the team advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2014-15, but they lost to North Carolina in the national semifinal.

After declaring for the 2022 NBA draft in April, the 19-year-old was selected No. 1 overall by the Magic. He had a historic debut with 27 points, nine rebounds and five assists in Wednesday's opener against the Detroit Pistons.

Banchero joined Kareem Abdul-Jabaar and LeBron James as the only No. 1 picks since 1969 to have at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists in their first career game.