SAN JUAN — The pregnant wife of former New York Knicks first-round draft pick Danilo Gallinari was attacked by a shark during a family beach day in Puerto Rico.
Eleonora Boi was wading in the crowded waters of a beach in the Puerto Rican municipality of Carolina when she was bitten on the leg, she revealed Friday.
“It was the worst day of my life,” the 39-year-old wrote on Instagram, according to a translation. “I never thought I could get attacked by a shark and I was near the shore and on a super crowded beach. Thankfully me and my baby are fine.”
Boi thanked her husband, Danilo Gallinari, for his “courage” during the situation. (Eleonora Boi/Instagram)
Boi is pregnant with her and Gallinari’s third child. The couple shares a 4-year-old daughter and a 2-year-old son.
The sports journalist was rushed to a local hospital, where she underwent surgery for her “poor bruised leg.”
She suffered an open wound on her thigh, Carolina Municipal Police Commissioner Captain Rubén Moyeno said, according to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Día.
New York Knicks’ Danilo Gallinari during a game between against the Portland Trailblazers at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 7, 2009. (Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post)
Boi was listed in stable condition.
The operation was successful, and she has begun her recovery from the “great scare.”
Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources confirmed Boi’s report of the attack, saying her injuries were likely from a shark.
Eleonora Boi poses for a selfie from her hospital bed after the Puerto Rico shark attack. (Eleonora Boi/Instagram)
“Based on the photographs provided to us, it is considered that the characteristics of it could be compatible with those of sharks, but to validate this it would be necessary to carry out a series of analyses,” DRNA Coordinator of the Protected Species Program Dr. Nilda Jimenez said.
The department has yet to identify the type of shark that attacked Boi.
Officials did not make any warnings to the beachgoers after the incident but police and lifeguards were on alert, according to the outlet.
Boi credited Gallinari for his quick actions in the aftermath of the unprovoked attack.
“I thank my husband who despite being married to Fantozzi-Boi he gave me all his love and courage,” Boi wrote.
The expectant mother jokingly threatened legal action against the shark, saying the apex predator would be hearing from her lawyers.
Boi’s hospitalization caused her and Gallinari to miss the Bad Bunny concert in San Juan.
“Don’t be deceived, it’s only for a little (while),” she said.
Gallinari hasn’t publicly commented on the incident.
The 36-year-old former NBA journeyman was the sixth overall draft pick by the Knicks in the 2008 Draft.
He began his professional career playing in his native Italy for four years before arriving in Manhattan.
The power forward played in 157 games for the Knicks, averaging 12.36 points per game in his three seasons in the Big Apple.
In 2011, he was traded to the Denver Nuggets, where he remained for five and a half seasons.
Gallinari suited up for six other teams, ending his NBA career in 2024 with 777 games played, averaging 14.9 points per game and 28.8 minutes per game.
He signed with Vaqueros de Bayamón of Puerto Rico’s Baloncesto Superior Nacional in January 2025.
By NICHOLAS McENTYRE/New York Post
