Paolo Banchero gets charge dropped stemming from incident at Duke

Jun 24, 2022; Orlando, Florida, USA; Orlando Magic first overall draft pick Paolo Banchero speaks during a press conference at the Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Paolo Banchero is starting his NBA career with a clean slate in more ways than one.

Steve Wiseman of The Raleigh News & Observer reports this week that the Orlando Magic rookie forward has gotten the aiding and abetting DWI charge against him dropped. The charge stemmed from an incident last November while at Duke University. Banchero’s then-teammate Michael Savarino, who is the grandson of legendary Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, was pulled over in Orange County, NC and arrested on suspicion of DWI. Banchero, Savarino’s passenger at the time as well as the person to whom the vehicle was registered to, was hit with the aiding and abetting charge.

The catalyst for Banchero’s charge getting dropped was Savarino formally pleading guilty this week to DWI. Orange County assistant district attorney Maren Hardin told The Raleigh News & Observer that it is “not unusual for a person charged with aiding and abetting DWI to have his or her charge dismissed upon the disposition of the principal’s DWI.”

You can read about the terms of Savarino’s plea agreement in Wiseman’s full story here.

Both Savarino and Banchero played for Duke when the incident occurred, the former as a junior and the latter as a star freshman. Savarino has since transferred to New York University, and Banchero is now with the Magic after going No. 1 overall in last month’s NBA Draft. We also already knew some details about the incident that authorities had revealed at the time.