After growing up a Celtics fan, Danilo Gallinari says it was a 'no-brainer' to sign with Boston
BOSTON -- It turns out that Brad Stevens didn't have to make a huge sales pitch to get Danilo Gallinari to Boston.
Gallinari's signing with the Celtics became official on Tuesday, and the veteran sharpshooter was introduced (along with Malcolm Brogdon) by his new team. Gallinari got to hold up his new No. 8 Celtics jersey at the Auerbach Center in Brighton, something he had been dreaming about for a long, long time.
Growing up in Italy, Gallinari was raised to be a Celtics fan by his father, Vittorio, who was a talented player in his own right overseas. Vittorio's love for the Celtics was simple: He was a huge fan of Larry Bird.
So Danilo grew up a huge fan of both Bird and the Celtics. And when he first arrived in the NBA as the No. 6 overall pick by the Knicks in 2008, New York GM gave him a CD of Larry Bird highlights and told him to see what he could emulate.
"Larry is a legend so it's not easy to do what he was doing, but I looked at those tapes every day," Gallinari explained Tuesday.
Soon enough, Gallinari will don a Celtics jersey of his own. He had other options when he became a free agent last week, with the Chicago Bulls reportedly offering him more money than Boston. But given the fandom of his youth and the chance to help the Celtics add to their vast collection of banners, Gallinari said it was an easy decision to sign with Boston.
"When the Celtics came on the table, it was almost a no-brainer," he said. "You walk into this facility and look around, you see the banners and history, everything the Celtics are about. It was an easy choice."
Now he can't wait to put on the green, even if it did cost him a little bit of green in his bank account.
"It's great to be here and I can't wait to wear those colors," Gallinari said Tuesday.
In addition to taking a reduced paycheck, Gallinari is also likely heading toward a reduced workload off the Boston bench. But none of that matters if he can play a part in the Celtics winning a title.
"At this stage of my career, when you think about basketball you think about winning and getting that ring. It's a constant thought that I have every day," he said. "It's always been about winning for me and especially right now when you get at this stage. When you're about to be 34, it's something you want and something you work for every day."
