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The pregnant wife of Italy's most famous NBA star is speaking out after surviving a horrific shark attack in Puerto Rico.
'I have to say, I'm traumatized,' Eleonora Boi, the wife of Danilo Gallinari, told ABC's 'Good Morning America.'
Boi, who was sixth months' pregnant at the time, was swimming in waist-deep water with the couple's two young children when the attack took place.
'I felt a strong pain, and my thigh was burning, but my idea was, "Maybe it's a huge jellyfish,"' she said. 'But in the reality, it wasn't a jellyfish.'
The pain quickly turned to panic.
'I started crying and screaming and I was screaming for help in Italian,' she continued.
Boi was sixth months pregnant when she was attacked by a shark off a Puerto Rican beach
Boi already has two young children with Gallinari, who now plays pro in Puerto Rico
Meanwhile, Gallinari witnessed the attack and came rushing in to save his wife, pulling her to safety on the beach before a woman helped put pressure on Boi's wound with a clean towel.
'She was an angel,' Boi said. 'Danilo was with me, and she helped so much. 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.'
Boi would ultimately undergo surgery, but not until after hours of testing to ensure her unborn child was safe.
Fortunately there were no issues with her pregnancy.
'After they gave us confirmation that the kid was OK and nothing happened to him, then they started the surgery process,' Gallinari told ABC.
Although Boi's doctors admitted they never treated a shark attack victim, they do believe she will fully recover physically.
Mentally, however, Boi has some concerns about lingering trauma.
'I have to be honest, it's not easy, because when I remember, I'm still scared - and, you know, it's difficult,' Boi said.
Boi said she underwent surgery, but only after ensuring that her unborn baby was OK
She also joked that the shark would be 'hearing from my lawyers' following the attack
Gallinari joined Puerto Rico's Vaqueros de Bayamon earlier this year after 14 years in the NBA
Gallinari said he believes the physical trauma is really secondary.
'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,' he said.
Boi has worked as a sports journalist and model, according to multiple reports.
The 6-foot-10 Gallinari is a second-generation pro basketball player following in the footsteps of his father, Vittorio. In fact, the elder Gallinari was a teammate of the son’s first NBA coach, West Virginia-born dual citizen Mike D’Antoni.
The 37-year-old Gallinari has played for a number of NBA teams and most recently won a Puerto Rican league title with Vaqueros de Bayamón.
The former sixth-overall pick by the New York Knicks averaged 14.9 points a game for his career, which lasted an impressive 14 NBA seasons.
