“When I was a baby, if I cried, my parents didn't give me a blanket. They gave me a ball and sent me to the little court in our backyard. I must have cried a lot because I was one of those kids who could dribble and shoot at 5 years old.”

Italian former professional basketball player, born 1988

Danilo Gallinari is an Italian former professional basketball player. Born in 1988, he spent 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association and is best known for his years in the league after beginning his professional career in Italy. He was selected sixth overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the New York Knicks, after four seasons as a professional in his home country. Gallinari played two and a half seasons with New York before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in 2011.