The former Knick revealed the story of how he met Bryant on the Run Your Race Podcast. According to him, Bryant spoke to him in Italian after a Team USA practice during the summer of 2008. “I’m watching them practice and the trainer of the Knicks is with me and he was one of the trainers of the Team USA too,” Gallinari said about meeting Bryant. “And he’s like listen, stay here a little bit more this practice because Kobe wants to meet you. I’m like really? So I stayed there, I waited, you know he’s icing, stretching, you wait maybe an hour after practice. And then you know, not a lot of people in the states can say my name right and there I hear somebody say ‘Hey Danilo come here,’ In Italian ‘Danilo come here.’ Who’s speaking Italian in Vegas at Team USA practice. I look and it’s Kobe. So he’s walking with the ice on his knees and everything. I’m walking down the stairs and I’m there talking to Kobe. So that was amazing, he gave me shoes. I go back to my room and there is a letter that he wrote for me.”
