Shark Week may have wrapped up on Discovery Channel, but Eleonora Boi just had a terrifying bonus episode.
On Thursday, July 31, the 39-year-old pregnant wife of former NBA player Danilo Gallinari was bitten by a shark while swimming near Puerto Rico’s Carolina Resort.
The next day, Boi, who’s expecting the couple’s third child, took to Instagram to recount what she called “the worst day of my life.”
“I never thought I could get attacked by a shark and I was near the shore and on a super crowded beach,” she wrote alongside a selfie from her hospital bed. “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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The Italian sports journalist added, “Now I just have to recover from the great scare and try to forgive the great friend who betrayed me,” before signing off with a cheeky warning: “Shark will hear from my legals soon as possible.”
It didn’t take long for the internet to react in the comments section.
“Holy sh**. Speedy recovery Leo,” one person wrote.
“Wonderful to know you’re okay! Get yourself back together,” said another.
“I thought it was a hoax at first… what a shocker!!” chimed in a third.
“How frightening! The shark didn’t know you were Sardinian,” someone else quipped.
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The Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DRNA) confirmed the attack but didn’t name Boi right away. According to El Nuevo Día—a local outlet in Puerto Rico—Carolina Police later identified her as the victim. DRNA biologist Nilda Jiménez said that the wound is being analyzed to determine which species of shark may have been involved.
“Based on the photographs provided to us, we believe the characteristics of the bite could be consistent with those of a shark,” Jiménez said in a translated statement. “But to validate this, a series of analyses would be necessary.”
Gallinari, now playing for the Vaqueros de Bayamón in Puerto Rico’s BSN league, married Boi in July 2022. In addition to their new bundle on the way, the couple are parents to Anastasia, 4, and Rudolf, 2.
