Danilo Gallinari returned to the practice court this week after months without the game.
“I was the happiest kid in OKC,” the Thunder forward said in an interview with the league website.
With reports that the NBA is considering plans to move forward with the season, Gallinari can see a pathway to real basketball in the near future. But he emphasized that for a return to happen, safety is paramount.
“I’m very excited,” Gallinari said. “At the same time, as a player, I want it to be as safe as possible … Like everybody knows, this virus is no joke. If we do it, we need to do it in a safe environment.”
Gallinari’s home country of Italy was one of the countries hit hardest by the coronavirus, resulting in a strict lockdown for about three months.
Gallinari, who called his family frequently during it, said it took a toll on his mother in particular because she lives alone.
“She was by herself in the house for three months without seeing anybody, not even her parents,” he said. “The mental part was the toughest part for her but … now the restrictions are a little looser and so she’s going to be able to see friends and family.”
He was among Italian athletes who helped the country during the crisis with donations and public service announcements, and he tried to do the same in Oklahoma City, including funding test kits.
“We were able to see how our help was able to help the daily work of our doctors and nurses,” Gallinari said. “I was like, ‘I need to do the same thing here in OKC.’ … Being that local I was able to see the results of the help and the donations.”
It’s been a long process for the NBA, but not one that surprised Gallinari after he saw what Italian sports went through.
With more clarity on future league play expected to come on June 1, Gallinari spoke about what the Thunder will need to do in the playoffs should play resume.
“We were on a great run and so a two-month stop of course is not going to help. But the chemistry that we created and the way that we want to play, we already know what we want to do,” Gallinari said.
“That chemistry is just a matter of a couple of days or a couple of games to get back to that.”
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