Christopher Guerrero Banchero (born January 24, 1989) is a Filipino-American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the Meralco Bolts of the

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

(PBA). He was drafted 5th overall by Alaska in the

2014 PBA draft The Gatorade 2014 Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Rookie Draft was an event which allowed teams to draft players from the amateur ranks. The event was held at Midtown Atrium, Robinsons Place Manila on August 24, 2014. Draft lottery The l ...

High school and college career

Banchero was a key player for state 3A champion

O'Dea High School O'Dea High School is a Catholic all boys high school founded in 1923 and is located in Seattle's First Hill neighborhood. The school is named after Edward John O'Dea who was bishop of Seattle when the school was built. O'Dea is a part of the Ar ...

, where he averaged 15.1 points for the Fighting Irish, who went 25–5. After his senior year in high school, he committed to play for

Seattle Pacific University Seattle Pacific University (SPU) is a private Christian university in Seattle, Washington. It was founded in 1891 in conjunction with the Oregon and Washington Conference of the Free Methodist Church as the Seattle Seminary. It became the Seat ...

men's basketball program under coach Ryan Looney. In his junior year at Seattle Pacific, he was named a Division II All-American, after he led the

Falcons Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

with a 19.6-point scoring average that was the second-highest figure in the

Great Northwest Athletic Conference The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) is a college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division II level. It has historically operated in the northwestern United States, but al ...

. He also led the team to a GNAC Championship and a spot in the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

tournament in 2010, after posting a 13–3 GNAC record to capture its first outright league championship since 2006. During his senior year, he posted phenomenal scoring performances of 42, 38, 34, 33, 31, and 30. He was well on his way to being named the D-II National Player of the Year when his senior season was cut short by an ACL injury in January 2011. He ended his college career as the No. 8 all-time scorer in SPU history. He graduated with a degree of International Communications in Business.

Professional career

San Miguel Beermen (ABL) (2011–2013)

Banchero was recruited by San Miguel Beermen in the

ASEAN Basketball League The ASEAN Basketball League (ABL) is a professional men's basketball league in Southeast Asia and Hong Kong/Macau, which includes six teams from Southeast Asian nations (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam), one tea ...

after graduating in college. The Philippine team already noticed him while playing for SPU's varsity team and for the Italian team in the professional division. At that time, he was gunning for a career in the NBA, trying out his luck in several teams. On May 6, 2012, Banchero recorded 18 points and 15 assists in a 111–104 OT win over the Kuala Lumpur Dragons. While playing two seasons for the Beermen, he teamed up with

Asi Taulava Pauliasi Taulava (born March 2, 1973) is a Tongan-born Filipino professional basketball player for the NLEX Road Warriors of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is the oldest active player in the league. Standing 6 ft 9 in (2. ...

Eric Menk Eric Conrad Menk (born August 24, 1974) is a Filipino-American former professional basketball player who played in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) and the Asean Basketball League. Known as Major Pain, Menk is a four-time PBA champion ...

June Mar Fajardo June Mar Sotto Fajardo (; born November 17, 1989) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He is also known by his nickname "The Kraken” for his extraordinary siz ...

JR Cawaling Ricardo "JR" Cawaling Jr. (born August 15, 1987) is a Filipino professional basketball player for Zamboanga Valientes of the ASEAN Basketball League (ABL). He was drafted 30th overall by the San Mig Coffee Mixers in the 2013 PBA draft. He is k ...

, and other ex-PBA stars and led the team to the 2013 ABL Championship, defeating the Indonesia Warriors. He was also awarded as the Finals MVP.

Boracay Rum Waves (PBA D-League)

After the ABL season ended in 2013, he set his sights in playing in the PBA. However, PBA rules required Fil-foreign players aged 25 years old or below to play in at least two conferences in the

PBA D-League The PBA Developmental League, or PBA D-League, is the Philippine Basketball Association's official minor league basketball organization. History The PBA D-League was conceptualized after the collapse of the proposed merger between the Philip ...

before becoming eligible for the draft. He initially signed a contract with PBA D-League team Blackwater Sports, however, due to a league provision that incoming players must apply through the draft, he ended up being picked top overall and signed to a contract by

Boracay Rum Waves The Tanduay Light Rhum Masters are a basketball team playing in the PBA Developmental League. The team is owned by Tanduay Distillers, Inc. and was originally known as the Boracay Rum Waves (2012-2014), which succeeded the Cobra Energy Drink Iro ...

. In his D-League debut, he posted an impressive stat line of 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists. His contract with the Tanduay franchise lasted until after the end of the 2014 PBA D-League Foundation Cup.

Alaska Aces (2014–2019)

After his stint in the D-League, he became eligible for the PBA Draft. During the

, he was earlier tipped to go as high as No. 2 in the draft, but some strange twists saw him land at No. 5 overall. He was drafted by Alaska. On September 9, 2014, he signed a 1-year contract with the Aces. After consecutive finals appearances, Banchero extended his contract for another year in September 2015 in a reported 2.7 million peso deal. On September 16, 2016, Banchero, again, extended his tenure with the Aces. This time, to a longer three-year deal. Terms were not disclosed. The Fil-Italian cager stated that it was an "easy decision" stating "he is very happy with Alaska." He credited the coaching staff and his teammates as the main reason he stayed with the team and hopes he will finish his career with Alaska.

Magnolia Hotshots (2019–2020)

On November 3, 2019, the Aces traded Banchero to the

Magnolia Hotshots The Magnolia Chicken Timplados Hotshots, or simply known as the Magnolia Hotshots, are a professional basketball team in the Philippine Basketball Association. The team is owned by San Miguel Food and Beverage, Inc., a subsidiary of San Migue ...

for

Rodney Brondial John Rodney Sanao Brondial (born November 20, 1990) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He played college basketball for Adamson University in the UAAP. He was d ...

and Robert Herndon.

Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters (2021)

On February 17, 2021, Banchero, along with 2021 first round pick and 2021 second round pick, was traded to the

Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters The Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters is a professional basketball team owned by Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Inc., which debuted in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) in the 2016 Commissioner's Cup. The franchise began after the compa ...

for

Calvin Abueva Calvin Abueva (born February 4, 1988) is a Filipino professional basketball player for the Magnolia Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). He was picked second overall by the Alaska Aces during the 2012 PBA Draft. He was nick ...

and 2021 first round pick. On February 1, 2022, Banchero became an unrestricted free agent.

Meralco Bolts (2022–present)

On February 2, 2022, Banchero signed a three-year contract with the Meralco Bolts. He first rejected a new three-year contract extension with former team Phoenix before signing with Meralco.

Career statistics

ABL

, - , align=center , 2011–12 , align=left , San Miguel , 11 , , 27.6 , , .509 , , .182 , , .619 , , 2.3 , , 6.6 , , 3.1 , , .0 , , 12.7 , - , align=center , 2012–13 , align=left , San Miguel , 23 , , 28.7 , , .417 , , .292 , , .691 , , 2.8 , , 3.9 , , 2.1 , , .0 , , 14.9

PBA

''As of the end of 2021 season''

Season-by-season averages

, - , align=left , , align=left ,

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, 58 , , 20.2 , , .406 , , .150 , , .657 , , 3.3 , , 2.2 , , .8 , , .0 , , 7.0 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 60 , , 22.7 , , .459 , , .364 , , .687 , , 3.5 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , .0 , , 9.6 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 25 , , 25.5 , , .406 , , .270 , , .672 , , 3.2 , , 4.1 , , .8 , , .2 , , 9.1 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 44 , , 30.3 , , .448 , , .327 , , .677 , , 4.2 , , 5.9 , , 1.2 , , .1 , , 12.1 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left ,

, rowspan=2, 38 , , rowspan=2, 30.8 , , rowspan=2, .400 , , rowspan=2, .313 , , rowspan=2, .683 , , rowspan=2, 4.3 , , rowspan=2, 4.9 , , rowspan=2, .8 , , rowspan=2, .0 , , rowspan=2, 13.3 , - , align=left ,

Magnolia ''Magnolia'' is a large genus of about 210 to 340The number of species in the genus ''Magnolia'' depends on the taxonomic view that one takes up. Recent molecular and morphological research shows that former genera ''Talauma'', ''Dugandiodendro ...

, - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 12 , , 26.4 , , .403 , , .233 , , .587 , , 2.9 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .1 , , 10.8 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left ,

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, rowspan=2, 33 , , rowspan=2, 27.4 , , rowspan=2, .431 , , rowspan=2, .270 , , rowspan=2, .636 , , rowspan=2, 3.2 , , rowspan=2, 3.5 , , rowspan=2, .9 , , rowspan=2, .0 , , rowspan=2, 10.7 , - , align=left ,

Meralco The Manila Electric Company (), also known as Meralco (, ), is an electric power distribution company in the Philippines. It is Metro Manila's only electric power distributor and holds the power distribution franchise for 22 cities and 89 munic ...

, - , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , 270 , , 25.5 , , .426 , , .294 , , .666 , , 3.6 , , 3.7 , , .9 , , .0 , , 10.1

Personal life

Banchero was born in Seattle, Washington to a Filipino mother, Jacqueline Guerrero, and a father of Italian descent. His paternal cousin,

Paolo Banchero Paolo Napoleon James Banchero ( , ; born November 12, 2002) is an American-Italian professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils. Banche ...

, was the first overall pick of the

2022 NBA draft The 2022 NBA draft (branded as the 2022 NBA Draft presented by State Farm for sponsorship reasons), the 76th edition of the National Basketball Association's annual draft, was held on June 23, 2022, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The ...

and plays for the Orlando Magic. They both won championships at O'Dea High School.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Banchero, Chris 1989 births Living people Alaska Aces (PBA) draft picks Alaska Aces (PBA) players American men's basketball players American sportspeople of Filipino descent American people of Italian descent ASEAN Basketball League players Basketball players from Seattle Citizens of the Philippines through descent Filipino men's basketball players Magnolia Hotshots players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters players Point guards Seattle Pacific Falcons men's basketball players Shooting guards Meralco Bolts players