Veteran forward Danilo Gallinari announced his retirement from professional basketball on December 2, 2025, after 14 seasons in the NBA and 20 years overall. The No. 6 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft reflected on his career highlights and challenges during a Zoom interview with international journalists. Gallinari leaves as the all-time leading scorer among Italian players in the league.
Danilo Gallinari, born on August 8, 1988, in Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Italy, concluded his storied basketball journey with a retirement announcement via social media on December 2, 2025. Selected sixth overall by the New York Knicks in the 2008 NBA Draft, Gallinari played 14 NBA seasons across eight franchises: three years with the Knicks, six with the Denver Nuggets, two each with the Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks, and shorter stints with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Over 777 regular-season games, Gallinari averaged 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists. He appeared in 51 playoff games, reaching the conference finals once with the Hawks in 2021. His final NBA action was a four-minute stint for the Bucks in the 2024 first round against Indiana. Gallinari holds Italian records for NBA scoring (11,607 points), rebounds (3,618), three-pointers (1,456), and minutes (22,410), ranking second among Italians in assists, steals, and blocks.
Injuries marked his career, including two ACL tears in his left knee that caused him to miss the entire 2013-14 and 2022-23 seasons, plus back surgery as a rookie and other issues limiting him to 68 or fewer games in most seasons. Despite this, he played 14 or more NBA seasons, joining 299 such players.
Post-NBA, Gallinari won a Puerto Rican league championship with Vaqueros de Bayamón in August 2025, earning Finals MVP after a five-game series win over Leones de Ponce. Now 37 and residing in South Florida with wife Eleonora and three children, he plans to focus on business and family.
In a Zoom Q&A, Gallinari discussed his decision: "After [playing in September for] the national team, I wanted to take my time. I honestly had a lot of offers... But at the end of the day, I was ready with my mind and with my body to just call it a day." He expressed pride in paving the way for European stars like Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Luka Dončić, noting, "When I came into the league, the Americans were always so much better... Now the level in Europe is very high."
Gallinari advised his younger self: "Listen to my body. Learn more about my body. And don’t just say ‘Yes’ to everything." He reflected on missing a chance to play for the Boston Celtics, his favorite team, due to injury, but cherished the relationships built there.