“Today, with a heart full of gratitude, I announce my retirement from a career I have always dreamed of. A career built through hard work, sacrifice, victories, defeats, teammates who have become brothers, guidance from my coaches, and, of course, family and friends who have accompanied me every step of the way.” Danilo Gallinari wrote it on social media, thus announcing his retirement.
“It has been an incredible journey filled with countless memories that I will carry with me for a lifetime. To those who believed in me, to everyone who supported me, and to those who shared every moment with me, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. I am beyond excited for the next chapter!”, he added.
In career, Gallinari played 777 regular season gamesaveraging 14.9 points per game. Despite the many transfers, Gallinari has managed to carve out a stable place for himself among the veterans of the Leaguethanks to his three-point shot, his offensive skills and an uncommon athleticism for a European big man. After his last season in the NBA with the Bucks in 2024, Gallinari didn’t give up: in January 2025 he signed with the Puerto Rican club Vaqueros de Bayamón, looking for a new challenge and – above all – a beautiful end to his career. In the Vaqueros jersey he managed to win the first – and only – professional trophy of his career, decisively participating in the 2025 title of the Puerto Rican league and being named MVP of the Finals. A few weeks later, he announced that the summer of 2025 would be his last with the national team shirt: a journey – the one with the blue shirt – which began in 2006 but alternates due to the injuries that did not prevent him from being one of the main protagonists of the last 20 years in the blue shirt, competing in the Olympics, European and World Championships and helping to bring the Italian movement back to the highest international levels. In total with the blue shirt 83 appearances and 1,129 points.
If talent has never been lacking, Gallinari’s career has often been marked by stops and sacrifices. The his seasons in the NBAin fact, have been conditioned by numerous injuries, yet Gallo has been able to reinvent himself several times: adapting his game, remaining competitive, and demonstrating uncommon determination. Today, at 37 years old, he has decided to stop playing the parquet declaring himself “more than excited for the next chapter!”.