One of the best journeymen and fringe stars of the modern day NBA appears to have closed the book on his playing career.
On his LinkedIn page, former New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari refers to himself as a âformer professional athlete”. Admittedly, no official announcement of a retirement has been forthcoming – no press release, nor any conclusive social media post, as is the modern way – yet Gallinari maintains his own profile on the platform, and thus this expressively stated change in his status seems conclusive enough.
Until very recently, Gallinari was still playing in Puerto Rico, winning championships alongside the ageless JaVale McGee below whilst his wife got attacked by a shark. As recently as September, although he did announce his retirement from the Italian national team, Gallinari was still openly considering what the next step in his playing career will be. Now, if his LinkedIn handle is accurate, it seems there will not be one.
It Started With The Knicks
Gallinari tied on this Puerto Rican stint to end a career that saw him play for eight NBA teams, the final stop of which was the Milwaukee Bucks down the stretch of the 2023-24 season. Until as recently as this September, he was still apparently getting five-year contract offers, which seems ambitious for a 37-year-old player but which is not unprecedented in Puerto Rico’s BSN, whose age skews older than other leagues. Yet for Gallo, the NBA offers had stopped coming.
Gallinari was drafted 6th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Knicks, and spent his first two and a half years with the team, before being dealt to the Denver Nuggets as a part of the Carmelo Anthony trade. Denver would go on to be the longest stop of Gallinari’s career, one which would later include time with the Bucks, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons.
Never Thought It Would Come To This
Over the course of his career, Gallinari played in 777 NBA regular-season games, averaging 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists per contest, He shot 42.8% from the field and 38.1% on three-point attempts, with his career dovetailing nicely with a greater reappraisal around the league of large floor-stretching multi-dimensional forwards such as himself. In a league of stretch forwards, Gallinari was among the most versatile, and, at his apex, among the best.
After breaking through as a 15 point per game scorer as early as his second season with the Knicks, Gallinari would go on to have some of his best offensive seasons in Denver, where he became a reliable secondary creator and a threat in the post, from the mid-range and from deep. Although never an All-Star, he twice scored more than 19 points per game for an entire season, and was able to extend his career despite regular injury through his high skill level.
Injuries were a recurring theme in Gallinari’s career, limiting his availability at various points. Only one did he managed more than 71 games in a season. But when he was healthy, Gallinari consistently provided spacing, production and shooting to a high standard. After 11,607 career points and nearly 800 games played, Gallinari retires – it seems – as one of the better European imports to play in the best American league.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Former Knicks Forward Retires From Basketball appeared first on Heavy Sports.