P&T Interview: Danilo Gallinari on his time with Knicks, the success of international players, making it in the playoffs, and more

Just hours after Knicks fans collectively exhaled at the news that OG Anunoby had avoided a major hamstring injury, I got the opportunity to hop on a call with former Knick Danilo Gallinari.

Before getting into basketball, there was one thing worth acknowledging first: Gallinari had just won a BSN (Baloncesto Superior Nacional) championship. When congratulated on the title, he seemed pleasantly surprised that it was brought up, flashing a brief but unmistakably genuine smile before offering a quick thank you.

For a player whose NBA journey began in New York, it felt only natural to start with his first impressions of the Knicks organization and the city itself. “I didn’t know much about the organization,” Gallinari admitted. Relaxed and candid throughout the conversation, he explained how the franchise laid out its vision for the future after drafting him in 2008 before joking, “Obviously I didn’t stay long,” with a laugh.

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His introduction to the NBA, however, came rather brutally. “When most people think about a welcome moment, it’s good,” Gallinari said. His was anything but. Even now, he recalled the week of February 1, 2009 in remarkable detail. First came Kobe Bryant, who walked into Madison Square Garden and dropped 61 points on the Knicks in what was then the highest-scoring game ever by an opposing player at the arena. Two nights later, LeBron James followed with 52 points, 11 assists, and what Gallinari still remembers as a triple-double, despite one rebound later being taken away.

For Knicks fans, those games remain burned into memory for all the wrong reasons. But for Gallinari, the welcome tour still wasn’t over. That Friday, the defending champion Boston Celtics came into the Garden and beat New York 110-100. More than anything, Gallinari remembered the awe of suddenly sharing the floor with the biggest stars in basketball night after night.

That experience, he explained later in the conversation, is part of what makes New York such a difficult place to play. “You got to be strong-minded,” he said. “New York is a tough place to play with tough fans, so you have…

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Publish date : 2026-05-11 21:53:00

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