Wendell Carter Jr.

Carter's mother Kylia Carter played professional basketball internationally, making him a second-generation professional basketball player with a family connection to the game that runs deep.

He was one of seven one-and-done freshmen on the 2017-18 Duke roster — a historically unusual concentration of NBA talent that Coach K has replicated in very few other seasons.

Carter has been open about managing anxiety in his professional life and has spoken publicly about the mental health resources available to NBA players, helping reduce stigma around those conversations.

He and Paolo Banchero both attended Pace Academy in Atlanta at different times — an unlikely connection between the Magic's veteran center and its franchise star.