How Paolo Banchero, NBA Superstar, personifies the Hero's Journey according to Joseph Campbell - Carter Jobe

    As a huge basketball and NBA fan, I get very emotionally invested in the team I root for, the Orlando Magic, and every game I watch them play. While a professional sport like NBA basketball might not seem exactly mythical in theory, any dedicated fan of watching sports would tell you that stories unfold in every game, and inspiring heroes are made in the hearts of the viewer every single night. 

    One player who is certainly a hero to me is Orlando's star power forward, Paolo Banchero. To provide some context, the Magic are one of the least successful franchises in the league's entire history, being one of only ten teams who have yet to win it all in the playoffs. In fact, until recently, they've never been more than mediocre since I was a toddler. However, with the arrival of Paolo Banchero, the team is seeing a very bright future ahead. Paolo is still very young, having just turned 22, and is only just getting started on his Heroes Journey.

    He received the call to adventure when selected first overall by the Magic in the 2022 NBA draft, and in his first two years, he played very well, with little to no bumps in the road. However, entering his third year, he has encountered some struggles in his own hero's journey. He has struggled with an oblique injury which has only allowed him to play in a small portion of the Magic's games. This has obviously held him and his team back and has been very frustrating for me as a magic fan. 

    My perspective on this changed when reading Chapter 1 of Joseph Campbell's The Hero With a Thousand Faces, especially the sector concerning the refusal of the call. I believe Paolo Banchero is encountering this sector of his journey. Paolo clearly feels unsure about his journey, as he is struggling with being on the court and his confidence is iffy even when he does play. While it might frustrate me, it's important to contextualize this with the fact that many heroes undergo this exact chapter of doubt. In the Bible, Moses doubted himself when given his task by God. In the Lord of the Rings, Fredo Boggins faces doubts and troubles early on in his journey that tempt him. However, eventually both of these heroes summoned the courage necessary to overcome their troubles and resume their hero journeys. I believe that Paolo will start to overcome his struggles in the coming years, but this is not to say that he hasn't already been progressing in his journey. Recently, he dropped a career high 50 points, showing he has what it takes to be a superstar.

    The future is bright for Paolo Banchero, as for all of us who are struggling in our own Hero's Journeys. 

    To summarize, I believe that alike with fictional stories, athletes also personify the Hero's Journey in giving us inspiration to achieve our dreams and overcome struggles along the way, writing their stories in history and cementing themselves as heroes in their own right. 

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