Gallinari releases statement after torn ACL diagnosis originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Danilo Gallinari and the Boston Celtics received unfortunate news on Friday as the Italian forward’s knee injury was revealed to be worse than initially thought.
The Celtics announced Friday that Gallinari suffered a torn ACL while playing for Italy in the FIBA World Cup qualifier on Aug. 27. The injury originally was diagnosed as a torn meniscus, which would have given Gallinari a much better chance of returning for the 2022-23 season.
Six players Celtics could pursue to replace Gallinari after ACL injury
Shortly after the Celtics announced the news, Gallinari took to social media with a statement.
“This has been a tough week for me as I have learned the extent of my injury,” Gallinari wrote. “This game means everything to me and not being able to be on the court with my Celtics teammates hurts.
“I plan to give everything I can to the Celtics organization and my teammates as we hunt for a title. I will work tirelessly with the Celtics staff to return to the court as soon as I can and I appreciate the unwavering support from the fans, my teammates, and the entire NBA family.”
Gallinari signed a two-year deal with the Celtics as a much-needed scoring threat off the bench. With the 34-year-old sharpshooter out for most — if not all — of the 2022-23 campaign, the Celtics will have to search for a replacement. Veteran forward Carmelo Anthony is among the names on the table for Boston as it looks for another scorer for the second unit.
The Celtics open their regular season on Oct. 18 vs. the Philadelphia 76ers.
