NEED TO KNOW
During an Aug. 14 appearance on Good Morning America, Eleonora Boi, the wife of former NBA player Danilo Gallinari, reflected on being bitten by a shark while in shallow waters off the coast of Puerto Rico
She explained that she was traumatized by the incident, but also praised “an angel” for helping her in a time of need
“I have to be honest, it’s not easy because when I remember, I’m still scared,” she admitted
Eleonora Boi, the pregnant wife of former NBA player Danilo Gallinari, is opening up about recently getting bitten by a shark while in the water with her two children.
The Italian sports journalist first revealed that she had a run-in with a shark while at Carolina Resort in Puerto Rico in an Aug. 1 post on Instagram.
She and Gallinari appeared on the Thursday, Aug. 14 episode of Good Morning America to recount what she went through and to praise “an angel” who was there to help them that day.
“I have to say that I’m traumatized. I started crying and screaming, and I was screaming for help in Italian,” Boi recalled about the encounter, which happened while she and Gallinari were swimming with their children in waist-deep waters.
She explained that she didn’t initially worry about a shark right after the bite.
“I felt a strong pain, and my thigh was burning. But my idea was maybe it is a huge jellyfish. But in the reality, it wasn’t the jellyfish,” she said.
Gallinari recalled rushing to his wife and daughter before getting everyone to safety on the shore.
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Boi said that she was “really desperate” and frightened at the moment for her safety and the safety of the couple’s unborn child.
“Oh my god, I was saying, ‘I don’t want to die.’ And I wanted my baby safe, and I was crying. I was desperate,” she recalled.
Elenora Boi/Instagram
Eleonora Boi and Danilo Gallinari with their children
Once they got to shore, a woman stepped in to help, using a towel to apply pressure to the wound.
“She was an angel. Danilo was with me, and she helped so much,” Boi recalled. “I would like to say thank you to this woman because I don’t know her name, and I just want to say thank you to her because she helped a lot.”
Once emergency responders arrived, Boi was taken to the hospital, where she learned that the staff had “never treated a shark bite victim” before, according to Good Morning America. She had to undergo “hours of tests” to ensure the safety of her baby before being taken into the operating room.
“After they gave us confirmation that the kid was ok, and nothing happened to him, they started the surgery process,” Gallinari said.
She and the baby are both physically safe. However, Boi is struggling mentally after the encounter.
“I have to be honest, it’s not easy because when I remember, I’m still scared. And you know, it’s difficult,” she admitted.
Gallinari added, “I think that the body in this situation recovers faster than the mind. And that’s something that, you know, you don’t have to be ashamed of or scared of.”
Eleonora Boi/Instagram
Eleonora Boi in her hospital bed
Boi referred to the attack as “the worst day of my life” in her initial Instagram post, which was translated from Italian.
“I never thought I could get attacked by a shark and I was near the shore and on a super crowded beach,” she continued. “Thankfully me and my baby are fine, I was rushed to the rescue and the surgery to fix my poor bruised leg went well.”
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She cheekily addressed her attacker, writing, “Shark will hear from my legals soon as possible.”
Gallinari, who Boi married in July 2022, once played for the New York Knicks after being drafted in 2008. He left the NBA in 2024 and is currently playing for Puerto Rico’s Vaqueros de Bayamon.
Before ending his tenure in the league, he also played for the likes of the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder, Atlanta Hawks, Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks.
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