Ex-Nuggets Coach Says Danilo Gallinari's Number Should Be Retired

Former Denver Nuggets star Danilo Gallinari recently decided to call it a career after announcing he would be retiring from professional basketball after 20 years between NBA and international play.

Gallinari spent a majority of that NBA career in Denver— spending six years with the Nuggets after coming aboard via the iconic Carmelo Anthony trade with the New York Knicks— and wound up being a focal point of those mid-2010s teams within the half-decade he was in the Mile High.

In the mind of one of his former coaches during those Denver days, Hall of Famer George Karl, there might be an ample case for Gallinari to have his number retired with the Nuggets after being such a key piece of the team during the pre-Jokic era.

"Gallo should have his number retired in Denver. He was a key part of the bridge between the Melo and Jokic eras," said Karl on X. "But others deserve the honor first - starting with Melo and also including Coach Malone, my ABA and UNC guy Bobby Jones and, probably, yours truly. I’m ready!"

Gallo should have his number retired in Denver. He was a key part of the bridge between the Melo and Jokic eras.

But others deserve the honor first - starting with Melo and also including Coach Malone, my ABA and UNC guy Bobby Jones and, probably, yours truly. I’m ready! pic.twitter.com/DPVhRNhFDI
— George Karl (@CoachKarl22) December 2, 2025

Perhaps there is to be a case made for Gallinari being one of the better players to suit up in a Nuggets uniform. His best years were certainly when he was stationed in Denver, averaging 16.2 points and 4.2 rebounds in the 300-plus games he was with the team.

Playoff-wise, those Nuggets teams remained pretty quiet in the West, with only two first-round appearances for Gallo's six years there, but even with that lack of sustained success like we know Denver to have now, it's hard to speak about that time in the team's history of the past two decades without mentioning The Rooster.

Could Gallinari Get His Jersey Retired in Denver?

Dec 26, 2016; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari (8) gets past Los Angeles Clippers forward Luc Mbah a Moute (12) for a basket in the first half of the game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

So is a jersey retirement in play? It's hard to say. Only seven names have been retired throughout the team's history, and only one of those players has played more recently than the 1990 season— that being the late Dikembe Mutombo, who saw his jersey hit the rafters back in 2016.

With that in mind, it's clear the honor doesn't come around often for the Denver Nuggets. Gallinari might be on the fence for being worthy, but that also could be wishful thinking.

The one problem for Gallinari's case for a jersey in the rafters? That number's already taken on the current-era Nuggets in the form of Peyton Watson, who's held the number eight for the four years he's been in Denver, including his 2023 championship season.

Unless that hurdle can be surpassed to free up those digits, Gallo might be stuck waiting for his jersey to be retired in Denver. Nonetheless, he still remains a critical part of the Nuggets' recent history, and likely the biggest piece of the bridge that did span between the eras that Melo and Jokic claim through the franchise's transition period.

Could Gallinari Get His Jersey Retired in Denver?

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