Exclusive: Danilo Gallinari talks about time in OKC, SGA's rise, Daigneault

Being there from the start, Danilo Gallinari had a front-row view of the infancy of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's improbable ascension into NBA superstardom. The two were teammates for two seasons on the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City Thunder . Grouped with a package of draft picks, Gilgeous-Alexander and Gallinari were part of the historic haul that helped the Thunder eventually bring home an NBA championship.

The Clippers unbeknowningly sent OKC a soon-to-be two-time MVP winner for Paul George. Since then, the league-altering deal has drawn comparisons to being the modern-day Herschel Walker trade. On their hopeful voyage of back-to-back NBA championships, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder had an old face make a quick visit.

Gallinari visited OKC when the Thunder were on their way to a Game 2 win over the Los Angeles Lakers this past Thursday. He appeared in partnership with AT&T to celebrate the NBA Dunk Bus Tour. While enjoying his time with Thunder fans, Gallinari talked about his one-season stay in OKC and what it was like to see Gilgeous-Alexander go from NBA puppy to one of the greatest players in league history.

Here's what he had to say to Thunder Wire about his brief time on the Thunder in his 14-year NBA career: Early days with SGA Everybody has a story. If you were around Gilgeous-Alexander for his first couple of seasons in the NBA, you saw the start of an NBA career whose accolades will skyrocket him through several of his current peers and past competitors in all-time point guard talks. Unless you're Doc Rivers, nobody could even dream of the 27-year-old becoming who he is right now.