Christopher Clark 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 Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

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 Franchising, franchise teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia ...

(PBA). He was drafted fifth overall by Alaska in the 2014 PBA draft.

High school and college career

Banchero was a key player for state 3A champion O'Dea High School, 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 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 with a 19.6-point scoring average that was the second-highest figure in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. He also led the team to a GNAC Championship and a spot in the

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is the 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 environment ...

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 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 The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

, 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, Eric Menk, June Mar Fajardo, JR Cawaling, 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 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. 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 2014 PBA draft, 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 for Rodney Brondial 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 for Calvin Abueva 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. On August 18, 2024, Banchero became the first PBA player to make a four-point shot in an official PBA game during a win over Magnolia.

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 2023–24 season''

Season-by-season averages

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Alaska Alaska ( ) is a non-contiguous U.S. state on the northwest extremity of North America. Part of the Western United States region, it is one of the two non-contiguous U.S. states, alongside Hawaii. Alaska is also considered to be the north ...

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

, 60 , , 22.7 , , .459 , , .364 , , .687 , , 3.5 , , 2.6 , , .9 , , , , 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'', ''Dugandiodendr ...

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, 12 , , 26.4 , , .403 , , .233 , , .587 , , 2.9 , , 3.5 , , .8 , , .1 , , 10.8 , - , align=left rowspan=2, , align=left , Phoenix , 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, , , rowspan=2, 10.7 , - , align=left ,

Meralco The Manila Electric Company, also known as Meralco (, , stylized in uppercase), 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 3 ...

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, 45 , , 23.8 , , .392 , , .314 , , .636 , , 2.4 , , 3.2 , , .7 , , .0 , , 7.5 , - , align=left , , align=left ,

, 36 , , 27.7 , , .422 , , .319 , , .676 , , 3.7 , , 3.4 , , .6 , , , , 11.6 , -class=sortbottom , align="center" colspan=2 , Career , 351 , , 25.5 , , .422 , , .302 , , .665 , , 3.4 , , 3.6 , , .9 , , .0 , , 9.9

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, was the first overall pick of the 2022 NBA draft and plays for the

Orlando Magic The Orlando Magic are an American professional basketball team based in Orlando, Florida. The Magic compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division (NBA), Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference (NB ...

. 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 Filipino men's basketball players Magnolia Hotshots players Philippine Basketball Association All-Stars Phoenix Fuel Masters players Point guards Seattle Pacific Falcons men's basketball players Shooting guards Meralco Bolts players 21st-century Filipino sportsmen