Danilo Gallinari's first time

Imagine if, to win the first trophy of his life, a 37-year-old had to travel all the way to Puerto Rico and watch his wife, who was pregnant at that, get bitten by a shark. This is the life of Danilo Gallinari, who, after trying with Olimpia and nine NBA teams , finally won something and joked about it with his father Vittorio, a man who, between Milan and Bologna (Virtus) had amassed a nice collection of cups and championships in the fabulous 1980s. "With all the wins you've made, I owed you at least this," Danilo wrote on Instagram under a photo of himself, his dad, and the trophy he won with the Vaqueros.

Puerto Rican champion and also the best player in the championship finals. A bit of happiness after so many disappointments on the court due to poor decisions and bad luck, which often dealt him a blow in the form of injury, robbing him of a great opportunity with the national team and the Boston Celtics. Now that he's broken the ice, who knows, maybe his winning streak can continue in Italy. Pozzecco and his teammates await him at the European Championships at the end of the month. Danilo can still be useful, even if, due to obvious age limitations, he's no longer the devastating force he was a few years ago . However, if used correctly, he can be decisive. He has shooting, experience, vision, and above all, he'll be flanked by better players than those who won with him in Puerto Rico. He can be a team player without being forced to be the star, a role Fontecchio can easily shoulder along with captain Melli.

It seemed truly absurd that the man who was Italy's best player for several years could end his career without winning anything, without a few nice trophies to add to the ranks of those won by a father who was enormous, but certainly less talented than him. Not that the trophy won in Puerto Rico can offset a Champions League, two Cup Winners' Cups, a Korac Cup, four Italian Cups, and four league titles, but at least it doesn't leave a void . Danilo earned tons of dollars, consistently signing significant contracts (sometimes prioritizing salary over team strength), becoming the highest-earning Italian basketball player. But while Belinelli had taken home an NBA ring and the All-Star Game's best three-point shooter trophy, he had remained empty. That's why he smiled so much over a Puerto Rican league title won just days after his wife Eleonora's scare of a shark attack. They'll have plenty to tell their two children and the third on the way about this Central American summer. Hoping the fishing isn't over yet (except for sharks). Pozzecco is counting on it. Petrucci even more so.

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