Basketball history is filled with tons of talented players who have seen their careers fall short of expectations because of circumstances beyond their control, and Danilo Gallinari believes he belongs in that discussion.
As he admitted that he still thinks about his 2011 Carmelo Anthony trade inclusion that sent him from the New York Knicks to the Denver Nuggets, the former Italian forward reflected and claimed that he might be the biggest "What-If" in the game due to the impact of injuries in his career.
"I think about it just with friends and family when we sometimes talk about basketball and my career. We think about it, or when I come back to New York and I talk to my fans or people in New York that still work for the Knicks, we talk about it, but there is a lot of, unfortunately, because of my injuries, there is a lot of what-if in my career," Gallinari said in an interview with HoopsHype's Cyro Asseo.
"I don't know, I'm probably the biggest what-if guy in the history of the game, maybe. But it's part of an NBA career. It happened to me, unfortunately, more than any other athlete probably, as far as injuries, but I don't think about it too much."
Danilo Gallinari's potential ruined by injuries
Coming off an MVP campaign at Age 19 in the Italian League, Danilo Gallinari began his NBA career with the New York Knicks, chosen with the No. 6 pick of the 2008 NBA Draft.
While he has star potential as a unicorn forward with a unique combination of size and scoring ability, injuries significantly impacted Gallinari and his rise.
Expectations were high for Gallinari to be the Denver Nuggets’ centerpiece following the 2011 Carmelo Anthony trade, but a torn ACL late in the 2012-13 season drastically changed the course of his career.
Without him as the team's leading scorer, the No. 3-seeded Nuggets were eliminated by the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the 2013 Playoffs. The injury also forced Gallinari to miss the entire 2013-14 season as he focused on his recovery.
In the end, despite the tragic course he endured due to injuries, Gallinari still carved a well-respected career as a solid role player and veteran contributor, playing for the LA Clippers (2017-19), OKC Thunder (2019-20), Atlanta Hawks (2020-22), Washington Wizards (2023-24), Detroit Pistons and the Milwaukee Bucks (2024).