Ex-Knicks, Nuggets Forward Makes Major Career Decision On Saturday

“I’m missing a medal with the national team, and then I can be happy," Gallinari said. "It’s also hard to quantify what could have been and wasn’t: I started with the Azzurri at 17-18 years old, when the 2004 Olympic group was still there, and of all the possible summers since then, I missed eight."

"That’s a lot. Sometimes I wonder what could have happened if I had played those eight summers too — better not to think about it."

Gallinari had a few significant injuries throughout his career, which is why he missed so many summers. He wants to make sure his last run is his best.

"Every summer, anything can happen, even this one," Gallinari continued. "I don’t want to put pressure on the guys, but honestly, I see a team that I think is strong and can do well. I expect a lot from this group. I’m fired up for this, especially since it will be my last time with the national team, which adds some extra emotion.”

Danilo Gallinari's Underrated NBA Career

Gallinari started his career with the New York Knicks before he was traded to the Denver Nuggets as part of the trade package for Carmelo Anthony. He played essentially twice as many games for the Nuggets as he did for any other team, even being on the team when Jamal Murray was drafted.

After more than 300 games with the Nuggets, he spent time with the LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, and Atlanta Hawks. He signed a contract with the Boston Celtics in 2022, but he tore his MCL in international play and missed the entire season. A year later, they traded him to the Washington Wizards in the Kristaps Porzingis deal.

A few months into his Wizards tenure, they traded him to the Detroit Pistons. He spent three weeks there before he was waived, and then signed with the Milwaukee Bucks to end the 2023-24 season. That was his last appearance in the NBA.

Gallinari made a career out of helping teams surpass expectations. He was on the Nuggets team that went a franchise-best 57-25 in the 2012-13 season, the Clippers team that went 48-34 and made the playoffs in 2018-19. and the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019-20 that went 44-28 with a revived Chris Paul leading the way.