Paolo Banchero’s Father Claps Back at Kendrick Perkins’ Criticism After Magic Demolish Hornets

Paolo Banchero's father ridicules Kendrick Perkins for his heavy criticism of the Magic star.

Paolo Banchero’s Father Claps Back at Kendrick Perkins’ Criticism After Magic Demolish Hornets

Kendrick Perkins on Paolo Banchero (Image credits - Firstsportz)

In Short
  • Orlando Magic secured a playoff spot with a 121-90 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
  • Mario Banchero defended his son Paolo against Kendrick Perkins' criticism on social media.
  • Paolo Banchero's performance this season has been below expectations, averaging 22.2 points per game.

Paolo Banchero put on a show on Friday night. The Orlando Magic secured a place in the playoffs after securing a convincing 121-90 blowout victory over the Charlotte Hornets at the Kia Center in their final game of the Play-In Tournament.

After the win, Paolo’s father, Mario Banchero, took to social media to hit back at one of his son’s critics, Kendrick Perkins.

The Internet is a cold place! Shout out to my guy KP……….. but , um, you got some sprinkles in your beard. Lol.

Mario Banchero on X

Paolo Banchero has not had the best of 2025-26 campaigns by his standards. He was drafted by the Magic as the number one pick in the 2022 NBA draft. The Magic believed they drafted their biggest star since Dwight Howard.

The signs were promising as the forward won the Rookie of the Year award and was named an All-Star in his second season. After winning the ROTY award, he set some lofty ambitions for himself. He led the Magic to consecutive playoff appearances in 2024 and 2025. However, they suffered first-round defeats to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, respectively.

His performances in his first three seasons saw him earn a five-year, $239 million contract extension. The expectations were that Banchero would take the next step and take the Magic on a deep playoff run. However, that has not been the case in the regular season this year.

Banchero is having his worst scoring season since his rookie year. This season, he averaged 22.2 points, 8.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists in 72 appearances. His lackluster numbers saw Kendrick Perkins call him the biggest disappointment in the league this year. But it looks like Banchero Sr. clearly heard Perkins and was waiting to fire back.

Fans react to Paolo Banchero’s father hitting back at Kendrick Perkins

There has been a lot of talk surrounding Paolo Banchero and the Magic this season. The Magic finished at eighth place in the Eastern Conference standings with a 45-37 record. They lost the first game of the Play-In Tournament to the Philadelphia 76ers. But they have bounced strongly when the lights were brightest on Friday night.

Following Mario Banchero’s post clapping back, fans were quick to react to the post clapping back at Kendrick Perkins.

Fans were delighted with Mario Banchero’s post, hitting back at Perkins. Many were calling for Perkins to apologize to Paolo after the recent criticism.

Orlando Magic to take on the Detroit Pistons

It may have been an underwhelming regular season for the Magic, but they have made it to the playoffs. The win over the Hornets sets up a first-round Eastern Conference clash against the Detroit Pistons.

Paolo Banchero
Orlando Magic will be looking to Paolo Banchero to lead the way (Image credits – Sky Sports)

The Pistons are coming off an incredible regular season. To everyone’s surprise, they topped the Eastern Conference standings with a 60-22 record. With Cade Cunningham back in the squad, the Pistons are one of the favorites to come out of the East.

But Paolo Banchero and the Magic do have more playoff minutes under their belt than their opponents. The Pistons made it to the playoffs last season but were beaten by the New York Knicks in the first round in six games. However, after their convincing win over the Hornets, the Magic will have some much-needed confidence heading into game one.

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