Danilo Gallinari was surprisingly part of a lot of headlines last week stemming from a skirmish that happened during an exhibition game between Italy and the Netherlands in preparation for EuroBasket 2017. After taking a hit on the jaw from Dutch center Jito Kok, the new L.A. Clippers forward threw a punch that landed square into the face of his opponent.
The incident resulted to a broken bone in his right thumb, and Gallinari will now be forced to miss the rest of the tournament, much to the dismay of the Italian team’s head coach, Ettore Messina. The 57-year-old recently blasted the 6-foot-10 forward for his actions, and questioned his loyalty to the national team.
Ettore Messina on Gallo’s injury: It's difficult to explain to a 30-year old man concepts like loyalty and responsibility
— Sportando (@Sportando) August 1, 2017
Messina also added that despite the apology Gallinari made, he is not ready to talk to him yet, as he thinks what he did was totally uncalled for.
Messina on Gallinari’s punch and injury: He did something unacceptable. He apologized, he was mortified, but I did not want to talk to him
— Sportando (@Sportando) August 1, 2017
Gallinari is arguably the most important player on the Italian team, and his absence will be a huge blow for them especially with the level of talent the rest of the competition has. As a consolation, they still have Marco Belinelli and team captain Luigi Datome to lead their charge.
However, without the former sixth overall pick of the 2008 draft, they will have their hands full against the other European powerhouses like Spain, Lithuania, and Greece.
Follow Us
Subscribe