Danilo Gallinari (Italian pronunciation: [daˈniːlo ɡalliˈnaːri]; born 8 August 1988) is an Italian professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). After spending his first four years as a professional in his native Italy, Gallinari was drafted sixth overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the New York Knicks. He played with the Knicks for two and a half seasons before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2011. He has also played for the Los Angeles Clippers, the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Atlanta Hawks.[1]

Danilo Gallinari
Gallinari with the Atlanta Hawks in 2021
No. 12 – Milwaukee Bucks
PositionPower forward / small forward
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1988-08-08) 8 August 1988 (age 35)
Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy
Listed height6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight236 lb (107 kg)
Career information
NBA draft2008: 1st round, 6th overall pick
Selected by the New York Knicks
Playing career2004–present
Career history
2004–2005Casalpusterlengo
2005–2006Nuova Pavia
2006–2008Olimpia Milano
20082011New York Knicks
2011Olimpia Milano
20112017Denver Nuggets
20172019Los Angeles Clippers
2019–2020Oklahoma City Thunder
20202022Atlanta Hawks
2023–2024Washington Wizards
2024Detroit Pistons
2024–presentMilwaukee Bucks
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing Italy Italy
FIBA Europe U20 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2007 Italy
FIBA Europe U18 Championship
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Serbia and Montenegro U-18 Team

Professional career edit

Casalpusterlengo (2004–2005) edit

Gallinari started playing professionally in 2004[2] for Casalpusterlengo, a team in Serie B1 (third level in Italy).

Edimes Pavia (2005–2006) edit

In 2005, Gallinari was acquired by Armani Jeans Milano, which then sent him to Edimes Pavia, a team competing in the Italian league second division championship during the 2005–2006 season, so that he could earn more experience with extended playing minutes. Even though he played only half of the season due to an injury, in 2006 he was nominated as the best Italian player of the Italian league second division championship, averaging 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 assists in 17 games.[3]

Olimpia Milano (2006–2008) edit

In 2006, Gallinari was recalled by Olimpia Milano to play in the 2006–07 Serie A season and also in the ULEB Cup. In his first season in Serie A, Gallinari was named as the league's best player under the age of 22, averaging 10.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.7 steals, and 1.0 assists per game in 34 regular season games and 11.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 steals, and 0.9 assists per game in 8 playoff games.[4] During the season, he also won the 2007 Italian All Star Game 3-point shootout contest.

He spent his last season with Milano in the top Italian league,[5] finishing first in the league's overall efficiency ratings.[6] During the 2007–2008 season, he averaged 17.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 1.3 assists per game in 33 regular season games and 18.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.5 assists per game in 8 playoff games.[7]

In the 2007–08 season, he played for the first time in the EuroLeague, where he averaged 14.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 steals per game in 11 games. He posted a season-high 27 points against Maccabi Tel Aviv in his final game,[8] and at the end of the season was named the EuroLeague's Rising Star.

New York Knicks (2008–2011) edit

Gallinari's contract with Olimpia Milano had an escape clause for playing professionally in the United States, effectively eliminating major encumbrances that would have prevented him from joining the National Basketball Association (NBA). On 23 April 2008, he decided to declare himself eligible for the 2008 NBA draft. Gallinari signed an endorsement deal with Reebok before being drafted into the NBA. He has his own sneaker, made by Reebok, called "The Rooster."[9]

 
Gallinari training with the Knicks

Gallinari was drafted sixth overall in the 2008 draft by the New York Knicks. He then signed a two-year contract with the team.[10]

Just one game into the 2008–09 season, it was announced Gallinari would most likely miss most of the remainder of the season due to back problems.[11] Despite his back problems, he came back into play on 17 January, during a game the Knicks lost to Philadelphia. On 4 March, Gallinari scored a season-high 17 points against the Atlanta Hawks, shooting 4–5 on three-point field goal attempts.

On 23 October 2009, the Knicks picked up Gallinari's contract option.[12]

With the Knicks freeing up roster space for Gallinari with the trade of Quentin Richardson, and with Al Harrington being relegated to the bench, head coach Mike D'Antoni named Gallinari a starter two games into the 2009 NBA season.[13][14] On 31 October 2009, the third game of the 2009 season, Gallinari scored a career-high 30 points and made eight three-pointers in an overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, one short of tying a Knicks franchise record held by Latrell Sprewell and John Starks.[15] Gallinari set a new career high on 6 April 2010, with 31 points in a 104–101 win over the Boston Celtics.[16]

Denver Nuggets (2011–2017) edit

 
Gallinari shooting a free throw for the Denver Nuggets in 2013

On 22 February 2011, Gallinari was traded to the Denver Nuggets in a three-team trade, which also involved the Minnesota Timberwolves, that brought Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups to New York.[17] In just his second game with the Nuggets, he almost matched his career high with a 30-point effort in an overtime loss against the Portland Trail Blazers.

During the 2011 NBA lockout he returned to Italy to play for Emporio Armani Milan.[18]

On 25 January 2012, Gallinari signed a multi-year contract extension with the Nuggets.[19]

On 5 April 2013, it was announced that Gallinari would miss the remainder of the 2012–13 season because of an ACL injury.[20] The same injury forced him out of the entire 2013–14 season as well.[21]

On 29 October 2014, Gallinari made his return for the Nuggets, scoring seven points on 1-of-8 shooting in a season opening win over the Detroit Pistons.[22] On 22 March 2015, Gallinari scored a career-high 40 points on 12-of-21 shooting in a 119–100 win over the Orlando Magic.[23] Gallinari later eclipsed his career high with 47 points in a double overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks on 10 April.[24]

On 3 August 2015, Gallinari signed a two-year contract extension with the Nuggets.[25] On 17 November 2015, he scored a season-high 32 points in a 115–98 win over the New Orleans Pelicans.[26] On 5 February 2016, he set a new season high with 33 points in a 115–110 win over the Chicago Bulls.[27] Gallinari missed the final 22 games of the season due to an ankle injury.[28]

On 9 April 2017, Gallinari scored 22 of his season-high 34 points in the third quarter of the Nuggets' 106–105 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.[29]

Los Angeles Clippers (2017–2019) edit

On 6 July 2017, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Gallinari from the Denver Nuggets as part of a three-team trade that sent Jamal Crawford, Diamond Stone and the Clippers' 2018 protected first round draft pick (via Houston) to the Atlanta Hawks and a 2019 second round draft pick from Atlanta (via Washington) to Denver.[30] In his debut for the Clippers in their season opener on October 19, Gallinari scored 11 points in a 108–92 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.[31] On 6 December, Gallinari returned to action against the Minnesota Timberwolves after missing a month due to a glute injury.[32] On 20 December, he was ruled out until at least January with a partial tear of his left glute muscle.[33][34] On 5 February 2018, he scored 28 points in a 104–101 win over the Dallas Mavericks.[35] On 27 February, he was once again ruled out due to a non-displaced fracture to his right hand.[36]

In March 2019, Gallinari scored 20 or more points in nine straight games, marking the best scoring streak of his career.[37]

Oklahoma City Thunder (2019–2020) edit

On 10 July 2019, the Clippers traded Gallinari, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, five first-round draft picks, and the rights to swap two other first-round picks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for NBA All-Star player Paul George.[38] On 4 August 2019, it was reported that Gallinari underwent an appendectomy.[39]

Atlanta Hawks (2020–2022) edit

On 24 November 2020, Gallinari was acquired by the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for a conditional 2025 second-round pick in a sign-and-trade deal.[40][41]

During Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers, Gallinari came up in the final minute with a key steal from Joel Embiid and a dunk, extending Atlanta's lead to six, as the Hawks reached their first Eastern Conference Final since 2015 and only their second since moving to Atlanta in 1968.[42]

On 30 June 2022, Gallinari was traded, alongside multiple future first-round picks, to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Dejounte Murray and Jock Landale.[43] On 8 July, Gallinari was waived by the Spurs.[44]

Boston Celtics (2022–2023) edit

On 12 July 2022, Gallinari signed a two-year, $13.3M deal with the Boston Celtics.[45][46] On September 2, Gallinari suffered a torn ACL in his left knee, and missed the entire season.[47] As a result of his injury, and a trade preceding the 2023–24 season, Gallinari was not able to see the court during his time with the Boston Celtics.

Washington Wizards (2023–2024) edit

On 23 June 2023, the Celtics traded Gallinari to the Washington Wizards as part of a three–team deal involving the Memphis Grizzlies. The Wizards received Gallinari, Mike Muscala, and the No.35 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft from Boston as well as Tyus Jones from Memphis in exchange for Kristaps Porzingis who landed in Boston. Additionally, Boston received the No. 25 over pick in the 2023 NBA draft and a 2024 first round pick (via GSW) from Memphis, while the Grizzlies acquired Marcus Smart.[48]

Detroit Pistons (2024) edit

On 14 January 2024, Gallinari was traded to the Detroit Pistons, along with Mike Muscala, in exchange for Marvin Bagley III, Isaiah Livers and future draft considerations.[49] On 9 February, he was waived by the Pistons.[50]

Milwaukee Bucks (2024–present) edit

On 21 February 2024, Gallinari signed with the Milwaukee Bucks.[51]

Career statistics edit

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field-goal percentage  3P%  3-point field-goal percentage  FT%  Free-throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  PIR  Performance Index Rating
 Bold  Career high

NBA edit

Regular season edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 New York 28 2 14.7 .448 .444 .963 2.0 .5 .5 .1 6.1
2009–10 New York 81 74 33.9 .423 .381 .818 4.9 1.7 .9 .7 15.1
2010–11 New York 48 48 34.8 .415 .347 .893 4.8 1.7 .8 .4 15.9
2010–11 Denver 14 12 30.9 .412 .370 .772 5.4 1.6 .9 .6 14.7
2011–12 Denver 43 40 31.4 .414 .328 .871 4.7 2.7 1.0 .5 14.6
2012–13 Denver 71 71 32.5 .418 .373 .822 5.2 2.5 .9 .5 16.2
2014–15 Denver 59 27 24.2 .401 .355 .895 3.7 1.4 .8 .3 12.4
2015–16 Denver 53 53 34.7 .410 .364 .868 5.3 2.5 .8 .4 19.5
2016–17 Denver 63 63 33.9 .447 .388 .902 5.1 2.1 .6 .2 18.2
2017–18 L.A. Clippers 21 21 32.0 .398 .324 .931 4.8 2.0 .6 .5 15.3
2018–19 L.A. Clippers 68 68 30.3 .463 .433 .904 6.1 2.6 .7 .3 19.8
2019–20 Oklahoma City 62 62 29.6 .438 .405 .893 5.2 1.9 .7 .1 18.7
2020–21 Atlanta 51 4 24.0 .434 .406 .925 4.1 1.5 .6 .2 13.3
2021–22 Atlanta 66 18 25.3 .434 .381 .904 4.7 1.5 .4 .2 11.7
2023–24 Washington 26 0 14.8 .435 .313 .839 2.9 1.2 .2 .1 7.0
2023–24 Detroit 6 0 14.9 .545 .583 .875 2.3 2.0 .3 .3 8.7
Career 760 563 29.3 .428 .382 .876 4.7 1.9 .7 .4 15.2

Play-in edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2022 Atlanta 2 2 35.2 .440 .364 .857 3.0 1.5 .0 .5 16.0
Career 2 2 35.2 .440 .364 .857 3.0 1.5 .0 .5 16.0

Playoffs edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2011 Denver 5 5 29.6 .432 .467 .714 3.4 2.0 .8 .0 12.0
2012 Denver 7 7 31.7 .362 .174 .917 5.1 2.4 .7 .6 13.4
2019 L.A. Clippers 6 6 33.5 .351 .302 .848 6.2 2.7 1.3 .2 19.8
2020 Oklahoma City 7 7 30.3 .405 .324 .967 5.4 1.0 .7 .1 15.0
2021 Atlanta 18 0 24.6 .425 .405 .942 3.9 .8 .3 .2 12.8
2022 Atlanta 5 3 22.3 .400 .267 1.000 4.2 .8 .2 .0 10.2
Career 48 28 27.8 .395 .341 .901 4.6 1.4 .6 .2 13.8

EuroLeague edit

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG PIR
2005–06 Olimpia Milano 1 0 2.3 .000 .000 .000 .0 .0 .0 .0 .0 1.0
2007–08 11 11 31.7 .420 .318 .781 4.2 1.7 1.5 .4 14.9 17.2
2011–12 7 2 28.3 .406 .267 .753 4.4 1.1 .7 .4 16.4 19.3
Career 19 13 25.6 .413 .293 .796 4.1 1.4 1.1 .4 14.7 17.1

National team career edit

 
Gallinari with Italy in 2012

Gallinari was a member of the Under-16 and Under-18 Italian national teams. He played at the 2004 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship and won the bronze medal at the 2005 FIBA Europe Under-18 Championship. He was later selected for the senior national team to play in EuroBasket 2007, but was forced to withdraw, due to an injury that he suffered in preparation before the tournament. He was called up to the squad that would take part in EuroBasket 2015.[52]

Personal life edit

Gallinari's father, Vittorio Gallinari, played professional basketball with Olimpia Milano (along with future head coach Mike D'Antoni),[53] Pallacanestro Pavia, Virtus Bologna, and Scaligera Basket Verona in the Italian league.

According to multiple sources, before Kim Kardashian began dating Kris Humphries, she was extremely interested in dating Gallinari, who was told that such a move would be good for his career and that he would garner lots of media exposure. Gallinari declined, saying he would be happy to meet Kardashian but wasn't interested in dating her.[54]

Aside from basketball, Gallinari has worked as a model for Armani.[55]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Know The Prospect: Danilo Gallinari". Stop Mike Lupica. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  2. ^ "Danilo Gallinari". Euroleague.net. 8 August 1988. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  3. ^ "LegaDue page on Gallinari". Legaduebasket.it. 30 June 2006. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  4. ^ "LegaA page on Gallinari". 195.56.77.208. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Lega A page on Gallinari". 195.56.77.208. Archived from the original on 22 January 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Top 20 position". 195.56.77.208. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  7. ^ "LegaA page on Gallinari". 195.56.77.208. Archived from the original on 4 February 2012. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  8. ^ "Euroleague page on Gallinari". Euroleague.net. 8 August 1988. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  9. ^ Littmann, Chris (27 June 2008). "FirstCuts: Reebok Inks Gallinari, Debuts Shoe". Sporting News. Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  10. ^ "Knicks sign Gallinari". Sports.espn.go.com. 8 July 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  11. ^ "Danilo Gallinari's back, future up in air". Nydailynews.com. 12 November 2008. Archived from the original on 2 January 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  12. ^ "Knicks pick up options on Chandler, Gallinari". NBA.com. 23 October 2009.
  13. ^ "Lineup change for Knicks: Gallinari in; Harrington out". ESPN. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  14. ^ Hahn, Alan (31 October 2009). "Gallinari will start; Harrington to the bench". Newsday.com. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  15. ^ "Sixers Knicks Boxscore". NBA.com. Retrieved 18 December 2010.
  16. ^ Hahn, Alan (6 April 2010). "Gallinari's 31 points lead Knicks over Celtics". Newsday. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  17. ^ "Nuggets acquire five players, three picks in three-team trade". NBA.com. 22 February 2011. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  18. ^ "ARMANI MILAN brings Gallinari home". Euroleague.net. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  19. ^ "Nuggets sign Danilo Gallinari to contract extension". NBA.com. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2014.
  20. ^ Danilo Gallinari out for season
  21. ^ Denver Nuggets F Danilo Gallinari Undergoes Knee Surgery
  22. ^ "Nuggets open with 89-79 win over Pistons". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 25 January 2015. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  23. ^ "Gallinari scores 40, Nuggets beat Magic 119-100". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 23 March 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
  24. ^ "Felton lifts Mavs to 144-143 win over Nuggets in 2 OTs". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2015.
  25. ^ "Nuggets Extend Danilo Gallinari". NBA.com. 3 August 2015. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  26. ^ Gallinari scores 32 to lead Nuggets past Pelicans, 115-98
  27. ^ "Nuggets rally for win after Bulls lose Butler to injury". NBA.com. Archived from the original on 1 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  28. ^ Danilo Gallinari 2015-16 Game Log
  29. ^ "Westbrook sets triple-double record, Thunder beat Nuggets". ESPN.com. 9 April 2017. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
  30. ^ "Press Release: L.A. Clippers Acquire Danilo Gallinari". NBA.com. 6 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
  31. ^ "Deflated Ball: Blake gets 29 in Clips' 108-92 rout of Lakers". ESPN.com. 19 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  32. ^ "Towns lead Timberwolves past sinking Clippers 113-107". ESPN.com. 6 December 2017. Retrieved 7 December 2017.
  33. ^ "Clippers lead all the way in beating Suns 108-94 to end skid". ESPN.com. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  34. ^ "L.A. Clippers forward Danilo Gallinari diagnosed with partial tear in glute muscle". NBA.com. 20 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
  35. ^ "Kings score 9 in 1st, rally to beat Bulls 104-98". ESPN.com. 5 February 2018. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  36. ^ "Clippers' Danilo Gallinari out with injured right hand". Los Angeles Times. 27 February 2018.
  37. ^ "Clippers win fifth straight, beat Knicks 124-113". ESPN.com. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  38. ^ "L.A. Clippers Acquire Six-Time NBA All-Star Paul George" (Press release). Los Angeles Clippers. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  39. ^ "Italy's Danilo Gallinari undergoes appendectomy while preparing for FIBA World Cup". Los Angeles Clippers. 4 August 2019. Retrieved 4 August 2019.
  40. ^ "Atlanta Hawks Acquire Forward Danilo Gallinari". NBA.com. 24 November 2020.
  41. ^ Daniels, Tim. "Danilo Gallinari, Hawks Agree to 3-Year, $61.5M Contract". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 23 November 2020.
  42. ^ The Athletic Staff. "Hawks hold off 76ers to advance to conference finals behind Kevin Huerter's 27". The Athletic. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  43. ^ "Atlanta Completes Trade with San Antonio Spurs; Acquires Dejounte Murray and Jock Landale in Exchange for Danilo Gallinari and Future First Round Draft Picks". NBA. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  44. ^ "San Antonio Spurs Waive Veteran Forward". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 9 July 2022.
  45. ^ "Report: Danilo Gallinari agrees to 2-year deal with Boston Celtics". www.nba.com. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  46. ^ "Celtics Sign Gallinari". NBA. Retrieved 16 July 2022.
  47. ^ "Celtics' Danilo Gallinari diagnosed with torn ACL in left knee". nba.com. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  48. ^ "Wizards Acquire Three Veteran Players in Three-Team Deal". NBA.com. 23 June 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  49. ^ "DETROIT PISTONS ACQUIRE DANILO GALLINARI AND MIKE MUSCALA". NBA.com. 14 January 2024. Retrieved 14 January 2024.
  50. ^ Pistons PR [@Pistons_PR] (10 February 2024). "The Detroit Pistons announced today that the team has requested waivers on forward Danilo Gallinari" (Tweet). Retrieved 9 February 2024 – via Twitter.
  51. ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Sign Danilo Gallinari". NBA.com. 21 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  52. ^ "Italy take their dream roster to Berlin". FIBAEurope.com. 2 September 2015. Retrieved 2 September 2015.
  53. ^ Thomas, Ian. "World of Ability". Blog article. Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  54. ^ "Kim Kardashian Wanted Italian Danilo Gallinari First?". CBS News.
  55. ^ "Danilo Gallinari for Emporio Armani EA7". Archived from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 22 January 2014.

External links edit