NEW YORK (AFP) - Italy's Danilo Gallinari, selected sixth in last month's National Basketball Association Draft, inked a multi-year contract with the New York Knicks here Tuesday, the team announced.

Under NBA salary terms for rookies, Gallinari will make almost 2.4 million dollars in his debut season and more than 7.7 million dollars over three years.

Gallinari, 19, averaged a team-high 17.5 points and 5.7 rebounds last season in the Italian League, then scored 14.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in Euroleague games.

"Danilo will be a tough competitor, will play hard and is very intelligent," Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni said. "This is how you build a team. He is a tremendous talent."