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Danilo Gallinari, a White Plains resident, turns 28 on Monday.
Gallinari, a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Denver Nuggets of the National Basketball Association, was born Aug. 8, 1988, in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano, Italy. He is 6 feet 10 inches. Gallinari mainly plays at the small forward position. His nickname is Gallo, which is Italian for "rooster."
In 2005, Gallinari was acquired by Armani Jeans Milano, which then sent him to Edimes Pavia, a team competing in the Italian league second division championship during the 2005–06 season, so that he could earn more experience with extended playing minutes. Even though he played only half of the season due to an injury, in 2006 he was nominated as the best Italian player of the Italian league second division championship, averaging 14.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 0.8 assists in 17 games.
In the 2007–08 season, he also played for the first time in the elite Europe-wide Euroleague competition and made an instant impact on basketball courts around the continent and he was subsequently named the Euroleague 2007-08 season's Rising Star award winner.
On April 23, 2008, he declared himself eligible for the 2008 NBA draft. Gallinari was drafted 6th overall in the 2008 draft by the New York Knicks. He then signed a two-year contract with the team. Gallinari signed an endorsement deal with Reebok before being drafted into the NBA. He has his own sneaker, made by Reebok, called "The Rooster."
On Feb. 22, 2011, Gallinari was traded to the Denver Nuggets. On Jan. 25, 2012, Gallinari signed a multi-year contract extension with the Denver Nuggets.
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