Hold up, fam. NBA veteran Danilo Gallinari just threw down his take on the GOAT debate, and for him, Michael Jordan is still the undeniable king. Straight up, Gallinari said MJ is “still the guy” in his opinion, because he grew up in an era where everyone was an MJ fan. Talk about loyalty to the legend. It’s a bold statement in today’s game, but you gotta respect someone sticking to their roots like that.
Gallinari’s Top 5: Who Made the Cut?
When you’ve played alongside some true superstars, your opinion on the league’s best carries weight. Gallinari didn’t hold back on his current or all-time Top 5 players, and honestly, some of these picks are gonna get people talking. For current players, he’s rocking with the “old heads” first, listing Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James. Solid, right? But then he rounds it out with Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic. Jokic getting that nod isn’t a shocker given his three MVP awards, but Edwards already cracking a Top 5 for an active player? That’s some serious confidence in the young star.
His all-time Top 5 is where it gets spicy. He’s got John Stockton at number one, then MJ, LeBron James, Bill Russell, and then Jokic again. Stockton at number one all-time? That’s a pick you don’t hear every day, but it shows the depth of his basketball knowledge and respect for old-school legends. Jokic making both lists just screams how much Gallinari respects what the big man brings to the court.
The What-Ifs and Superstar Insights
Gallinari’s career has been a rollercoaster, and he isn’t afraid to admit it. He sometimes talks with friends and family about what could’ve been if he’d stayed in New York and the Carmelo Anthony trade never went down. He openly calls himself “probably the biggest what-if guy in the history of the game” because of his brutal injury history. That’s a tough pill to swallow for any athlete, but he doesn’t dwell on it too much, which is probably the healthiest way to approach it.
The dude also had a front-row seat to greatness early on. He knew Nikola Jokic was gonna be a “great player” when they were in Denver together, even if the three-time MVP status surprised him a bit. He saw that the franchise was building around Jokic, and he enjoyed being part of both the winning and rebuilding phases. He even recognized Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s “very, very good player” potential when he was traded to Oklahoma City in the Paul George deal. For Gallinari, that trade was “just business,” a sign of being an older, seasoned pro who wasn’t shocked like his first big move from New York. He even mentioned that after the Melo trade, Masai Ujiri and coach Karl blamed him for tearing his ACL right before the playoffs, a season where they were “supposed to go all the way to the Fina” before losing to Golden State. That’s some raw honesty right there.
It’s always cool to hear from a veteran who’s seen so much of the league, and Gallinari’s insights give us a fresh perspective on the GOAT debate and the rise of today’s stars.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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