Paolo Banchero has checked a lot of boxes since joining the Orlando Magic. Won rookie of the year, been an All-Star, helped the team to the playoffs twice.
And now, the Magic are betting on there being more — much more.
Banchero has signed the richest contract in Magic history, the team announced Monday night. The five-year extension is worth $239 million and could reach about $287 million should he become eligible for a supermax deal, a person with knowledge of the agreement said.
The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms were not revealed by either Banchero or the Magic. ESPN, which first reported the agreement, said it also included a player option for the final year.
“We are thrilled to keep Paolo in a Magic uniform for years to come,” Magic president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “At just 22, he has won NBA rookie of the year, been named an NBA All-Star and is widely regarded as one of our league’s brightest young stars. This commitment reflects our belief in Paolo’s talent, character and desire to win at the highest level. It also reflects Paolo’s belief in our organization, our fans and the city of Orlando. We are excited to continue this journey together.”
The agreement means the Magic have four players — Banchero, Franz Wagner, Jalen Suggs and the newly acquired Desmond Bane — under contract for the next four seasons. And in the cases of Banchero, Wagner and Suggs, the terms extend out at least five seasons.
Banchero was the rookie of the year in 2022-23, living up to his billing after being the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA draft. He was an All-Star in his second season and was well on his way to that again last season before an early-season oblique injury.
He finished the season averaging 25.9 points and 7.5 rebounds, both career highs, and led the Magic to the playoffs for a second consecutive year.
He'll play the final year of his rookie deal this season, at about $15.3 million. His salary — depending on whether the supermax provisions are met or not — would then jump to either around $41 million or $49 million for 2026-27, when the extension kicks in.
The contract tops the $224 million extension that Wagner signed last summer to stay with the Magic. That was a team record at the time, though it was expected then that Banchero's next deal with the Magic would surpass it.
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FILE - Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero celebrates a 3-point shot against the Boston Celtics during the first half in game 3 of a first-round NBA playoff basketball series, April 25, 2025, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. flu infections showed signs of a slight decline last week, but health officials say it is not clear that this severe flu season has peaked.
New government data posted Friday — for flu activity through last week — showed declines in medical office visits due to flu-like illness and in the number of states reporting high flu activity.
However, some measures show this season is already surpassing the flu epidemic of last winter, one of the harshest in recent history. And experts believe there is more suffering ahead.
“This is going to be a long, hard flu season,” New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said, in a statement Friday.
One type of flu virus, called A H3N2, historically has caused the most hospitalizations and deaths in older people. So far this season, that is the type most frequently reported. Even more concerning, more than 91% of the H3N2 infections analyzed were a new version — known as the subclade K variant — that differs from the strain in this year’s flu shots.
The last flu season saw the highest overall flu hospitalization rate since the H1N1 flu pandemic 15 years ago. And child flu deaths reached 289, the worst recorded for any U.S. flu season this century — including that H1N1 “swine flu” pandemic of 2009-2010.
So far this season, there have been at least 15 million flu illnesses and 180,000 hospitalizations, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates. It also estimates there have been 7,400 deaths, including the deaths of at least 17 children.
Last week, 44 states reported high flu activity, down slightly from the week before. However, flu deaths and hospitalizations rose.
Determining exactly how flu season is going can be particularly tricky around the holidays. Schools are closed, and many people are traveling. Some people may be less likely to see a doctor, deciding to just suffer at home. Others may be more likely to go.
Also, some seasons see a surge in cases, then a decline, and then a second surge.
For years, federal health officials joined doctors' groups in recommending that everyone 6 months and older get an annual influenza vaccine. The shots may not prevent all symptoms but can prevent many infections from becoming severe, experts say.
But federal health officials on Monday announced they will no longer recommend flu vaccinations for U.S. children, saying it is a decision parents and patients should make in consultation with their doctors.
“I can’t begin to express how concerned we are about the future health of the children in this country, who already have been unnecessarily dying from the flu — a vaccine preventable disease,” said Michele Slafkosky, executive director of an advocacy organization called Families Fighting Flu.
“Now, with added confusion for parents and health care providers about childhood vaccines, I fear that flu seasons to come could be even more deadly for our youngest and most vulnerable," she said in a statement.
Flu is just one of a group of viruses that tend to strike more often in the winter. Hospitalizations from COVID-19 and RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, also have been rising in recent weeks — though were not diagnosed nearly as often as flu infections, according to other federal data.
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - Pharmacy manager Aylen Amestoy administers a patient with a seasonal flu vaccine at a CVS Pharmacy in Miami, Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell, File)
