Getty Danilo Gallinari #8 of the Atlanta Hawks.
Danilo Gallinari and Malcolm Brogdon were introduced as the newest members of the Boston Celtics on July 12, 2022. In their introductory press conference, both Gallinari and Brogdon mentioned how growing up, their family members were attached to specific Celtics legends of different generations.
Gallinari, who chose to sign with the Celtics in free agency, talked about how both he and his father were fans of both the Celtics and Celtics legend Larry Bird. It was his roots growing up as a Celtics and Larry Bird fan that played a role in why he ultimately chose to join the Celtics in free agency.
“I grew up with my dad, since I was a little kid, being a Celtics fan, being a Larry Bird fan,” Gallinari said. “So when the Celtics came on the table, it was almost like a no-brainer. You walk into this facility. You look around, and you see what’s going on around with the banners and the history and everything the Celtics are about, and it was an easy choice.”
Gallinari went as far as saying that playing for the Celtics was always a dream of his on his personal Twitter account.
Ironically enough, although he grew up a Celtics fan, Gallinari started his NBA career with their long-time division rival, the New York Knicks, in 2008.
Brogdon’s Grandfather was a Fan of Bill Russell
Brogdon may not have chosen to play for the Celtics this summer, but his grandfather’s ties to Celtics legend Bill Russell made Brogdon excited to join the team.
Brogdon revealed during his introductory press conference that his grandfather, who passed away a few years ago, was a big fan of Bill Russell. He then went on to say that he’d told everyone he’s met thus far in the Celtics organization that it’s an honor to wear the Celtics jersey.
Malcolm Brogdon after mentioning that his late grandfather was a huge Bill Russell fan: “I’ve told every one in this building that it’s an honor to put on this jersey.”
Danilo Gallinari also spent his first answer talking about studying Larry Bird as a kid.
Much like Gallinari, it appears Brogdon has also truly embraced Boston as his home since being traded there. One of his most recent tweets showed his new profile picture as he posed in front of the Celtics championship banners.
#NewProfilePic What do y’all think?
Celtics Personnel Have Tried to Get Both in the Past
When it was revealed that Danilo Gallinari was planning to choose Boston when the San Antonio Spurs waived him on July 1, Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe revealed that Boston’s front office had targeted Gallinari for years..
Gallinari was a longtime favorite of former Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge. According to league sources, if Gordon Hayward had not signed with Boston in 2017, Gallinari likely would have ended up with the Celtics. Then when Hayward went to the Hornets via sign-and-trade in 2020, there was some discussion about acquiring Gallinari from the Thunder using the team’s newly created $28.5 million trade exception, sources said.
As for Brogdon, well, the situation there is a little different compared to Gallinari. Brogdon said during his introductory press conference that Brad Stevens previously tried to recruit Brogdon out of high school back when Stevens was Butler’s head coach, but Brogdon ultimately chose Virginia.
Malcolm Brogdon said Brad Stevens recruited him hard when he was in high school. Obviously, Brogdon turned down Stevens then. Said he had a lot of respect for Stevens’s basketball mind though.
Several years, both Boston and Stevens got the guys they wanted. Even better, it appears that both Gallinari and Brogdon are eager to start their next chapter in Boston.