Danilo Gallinari: «Olimpia Milano? Never got a phone call...»

Danilo Gallinari sets the record straight once and for all on Olimpia Milano. A few days ago, the “Gallo,” fresh off a championship in Puerto Rico, once again spoke about his “dream” of ending his career in Milan, but admitted that, as of today, “I’m not saying it’s impossible, but I consider it very, very unlikely. The more time passes, the more complicated it seems.” Some have criticized him for these comments, and in the latest episode of the A Cresta Alta podcast, the 1988-born forward – currently in Limassol with the national team awaiting the start of EuroBasket – wanted to clarify the situation once and for all. “Thanks for the question. I hope that from now on, journalists won’t ask me this again,” Gallinari concluded, after saying:

“Let’s make this clear once and for all. First of all, in order to return to Milan, you have to be wanted. That it was my dream? Of course it was – it always has been. I’ve always said it. Even during my last years in the NBA, I thought about coming back to Milan,” Gallinari said. “But again, to return, you have to be wanted. It’s not like I wake up one morning, make a call and say, ‘Hey guys, I’m ready to come back, do you want me?’ That’s not how it works. In the past two or three years, I—or my father, or his agency, or my American agent—have received phone calls from Italian and EuroLeague teams. Even recently. And I thank all the teams that reached out, showing interest—even while I was under contract in the U.S.—to ask what my situation was or what my future plans were. But I have never received a phone call from Milan. To come back, you have to be wanted. At 37, it’s now very difficult to return to Europe for both basketball and non-basketball reasons.”

Gallinari played for Olimpia Milano from 2006 to 2007 and briefly returned during the 2011 NBA lockout. He’s played 777 NBA games from 2008—when he was drafted 6th overall by the New York Knicks—through 2024. He holds career averages of 14.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game, shooting 38.1% from three and 42.8% from the field. In the most recent season, he played and won the Puerto Rican championship with Vaqueros de Bayamón. EuroBasket 2025, now just around the corner, will mark his final appearance with the Italian national team.