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Former Bucks Forward Takes Home Unexpected Award No One Saw Coming

Sam Garcia|
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Former Milwaukee Bucks forward Danilo Gallinari led the Vaqueros de Bayamón through the Puerto Rican Basketball League Finals to win the first professional championship of his career.

Gallinari never won an NBA championship in his 15-season career. But in addition to winning the Puerto Rican championship, Gallinari was named the Finals Most Valuable Player just three days after his 37th birthday.

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Gallinari averaged 26.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and four assists throughout the Finals series against the Leones de Ponce. 

Gallinari chose to play overseas in Puerto Rico after he did not land a new contract with an NBA team in free agency. In his last season in the NBA, Gallinari bounced around three different teams, including the Bucks, Detroit Pistons and Washington Wizards.

The 2023-24 season was Gallinari’s last in the NBA and the worst of his career. He averaged a career-worst 5.7 points throughout the entire season and a disappointing 2.8 points in 17 games with the Bucks.

Milwaukee initially signed the veteran in February from the Pistons. The Pistons had acquired Gallinari in a trade with the Wizards and shortly after bought him out, making him available for the Bucks to sign.

Gallinari reportedly considered several teams around the league, such as the Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls. He ultimately decided to join the Bucks, as they were strong contenders and gave him the opportunity to reunite with his former coach, Doc Rivers.

With the Bucks, Gallinari did not perform as well as a former No. 6 overall pick would be expected to. In addition to averaging below double-digit points for the first time in his career, Gallinari averaged 1.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists while playing for Milwaukee.

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Gallinari became a free agent after the 2023-24 season. His age, recent recovery from a torn ACL he sustained in September 2022 and unimpressive performance that season resulted in no teams signing Gallinari.

He opted to play overseas in Puerto Rico, which has played out well for Gallinari.

Gallinari seems to have found his groove in the new league. But a year ago, he also said he would consider returning to the NBA if the opportunity presented itself.

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Sam Garcia
SAM GARCIA

Samantha Garcia is a student at the University of California, Los Angeles. She is majoring in Psychology and minoring in Professional Writing. She is also a sports writer for the Daily Bruin at UCLA.

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