Daniloโ Gallinari Announces Retirementโ After 16-Season Career
ROME, โขItaly – Veteran Italian basketball player โdanilo Gallinari, 37, announced his retirement from โprofessional basketball today via an emotional video posted on social media. The โannouncement marks the end of a celebrated career spanning 16 seasons in the NBA andโ numerous appearances representing his native Italy.
“I don’t remember whenโฃ you really came into my life,” Gallinariโ said of the sport in the video. “youโ were a dream, a refuge, a continuous challenge. You made me โgrow up, you taught me to never stop trying.โ Inโฃ every duel, โคin every cry, in every party there was a piece of our history. Thank you.”
Bornโ August 8, 1988,โ in Sant’angelo Lodigiano, Gallinari followed in the footsteps of his father, Vittorio Gallinari, a prominent player for Olimpia Milano in the 1970s and 80s. he began his professional career wiht Olimpia โคMilano in โฃ2005,after debuting in Serie B1 with Casalpusterlengo at age 16,and later played for Pavia in Serie A2. He quickly rose to โฃprominence,earning Euroleague โBest Young Player โฃhonors and the Italian League’s regular โคseason MVP award in 2007-2008.
Gallinari โwas selected sixth overall in theโ 2008 NBA draft by the New York โคKnicks, coached at theโ time by former Olimpiaโ Milano player โand coach Mike D’Antoni. He went on to play for the Knicks, Denver Nuggets (six โseasons), los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta hawks, Boston Celtics, Washington Wizards, Detroit โPistons, and Milwaukee Bucks, totaling 777 regular season games with a career average of 14.9 points.
Throughout his NBA career, Gallinari battled numerous injuries, including two ACL โคtears (in Denver and Boston), meniscus issues, and back and hand problems.Despite these setbacks, he consistently demonstrated โคresilience and a dedication to the game.โ
Following a season โin Puerto Rico where he secured his first career trophy, Gallinari concluded his career with the Italian national team, participating in the recent European โคChampionship. He represented Italy 83 times, scoring a total of โ1129 points.
“Today,with a heart full ofโ gratitude,I announce myโค retirement after a career I have always dreamed of,” Gallinari stated.โฃ “A โคcareer built with hard work, sacrifices, victories, defeats, teammates whoโค became brothers, โคthe guidanceโ of my coaches and, โขof course, the โฃfamily and friends who have beenโ with me every step of the way.”
