Danilo Gallinari Announces His Retirement from the NBA
The veteran NBA player, Danilo Gallinari, has decided to end his outstanding basketball career, announcing his retirement this Tuesday morning.
Gallinari, 37, leaves a 16-year legacy in the NBA, during which he played in 14 seasons, missing two due to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries. His career began with the New York Knicks, the team that selected him in the sixth position of the 2008 draft.
Gallinari joins a select group of players who have played at least 14 seasons in the NBA, an achievement that highlights his longevity and consistency in the league. Throughout his career, he defended the colors of several teams, including the Denver Nuggets, LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Son of Vittorio Gallinari, who was teammate and roommate of renowned coach Mike D’Antoni at Olimpia Milano in the 1970s and 1980s, Danilo is the second-highest-drafted Italian player in the NBA, surpassed only by Andrea Bargnani, who was the first overall pick. In addition, Gallinari holds the record for being the Italian player with the most points scored in NBA history, with a total of 11,607 points.
His time with the Knicks and the Nuggets were key moments in his career. In New York, he was a fundamental part of the team’s rebuilding project, while in Denver, he arrived as part of the trade that brought Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks in 2011.Danilo Gallinari scored 11,607 points during his 16-year NBA career, the most for any Italian player in league history.In Denver, Gallinari was part of the Nuggets team that achieved 57 victories in the 2012-13 season, a team that seemed ready to compete in the Western Conference playoffs. However, an ACL injury at the end of that season cut short his aspirations.
Injuries were a constant in Gallinari’s career, missing at least 10 games in almost all of his NBA seasons. In addition to the two full seasons he missed due to ACL injuries, he also missed a large part of his rookie year due to a back injury.
Despite injuries, Gallinari proved to be a highly skilled offensive player, especially considering his height of 2.08 meters. His 1,456 three-pointers made place him as the sixth player with the most three-pointers in NBA history who is at least that tall. In February 2021, playing for the Hawks, he became one of eight players in league history to score at least 10 three-pointers coming off the bench.Danilo Gallinari scored 10 three-pointers off the bench in a game with the Hawks during the 2020-21 season, becoming one of eight players in NBA history to achieve that milestone.The season with Atlanta marked the only time Gallinari reached the conference finals in his 14-year NBA career. Recently, he culminated his professional career by winning the Puerto Rico league title and being named MVP of the final series with the Vaqueros de Bayamón.
Gallinari’s last NBA game was Game 6 of the Bucks’ loss to the Indiana Pacers in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs.
