Derrick White (basketball)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Derrick White
White with the Boston Celtics in 2023
No. 9 – Boston Celtics
PositionShooting guard / point guard
LeagueNBA
Personal information
Born (1994-07-02) July 2, 1994 (age 29)
Parker, Colorado, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High schoolLegend (Parker, Colorado)
College
NBA draft2017: 1st round, 29th overall pick
Selected by the San Antonio Spurs
Playing career2017–present
Career history
20172022San Antonio Spurs
2017–2018Austin Spurs
2022–presentBoston Celtics
Career highlights and awards
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at NBA.com
Stats Edit this at Wikidata at Basketball-Reference.com

Derrick Richard White (born July 2, 1994)[1] is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played three years of college basketball in Division II for the UCCS Mountain Lions before transferring to the Division I Colorado Buffaloes for his final year.[2]

White was selected 29th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 NBA draft. In February 2022, he was traded to the Celtics and became a key contributor for the team when they reached the NBA Finals.[3]

High school career[edit]

White attended Legend High School, a brand new high school in Parker, Colorado, and was a part of its first graduating class.[4] As a freshman on the basketball team, he played with 11 other freshman en route to one win in league play.[5] As a senior, White averaged 17.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.1 steals per game.[6]

White scored over 1,000 points in his career.[4] At the time of his graduation in 2012, he was a six-foot combo guard. On February 17, 2023, White was honored as the first-ever Legend athletics hall of fame inductee.[4][7]

College career[edit]

White was lightly recruited out of high school, receiving no scholarship offers from any four-year institutions. At the time of his high school graduation, which fell about two months before his 18th birthday, he was barely 6 feet tall—after growing two inches during his senior year.[8] The only head coach at a four-year school who showed sustained interest in White was Jeff Culver, then the head coach at the Denver campus of Johnson & Wales University, a non-scholarship NAIA member better known for its culinary program. By the time White was preparing to make his college decision, Culver was hired as head coach at NCAA Division II UCCS, and offered White a room and board stipend for his freshman season.[9] Culver was only expecting White to become a starter late in his college career. He was aware that White's father had a late growth spurt in college, and also knew that doctors had projected White to potentially reach 6'5".[9] As it turned out, White reached that potential height by the time he enrolled at Colorado–Colorado Springs.[8] With his newfound size and athleticism, White became a star at UCCS, starting every game of his three-year career and left as the school's career leader in points (1,912) and assists (343). In his junior season, he averaged 25.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Mountain Lions, leading the team to the 2015 NCAA tournament.[10] He was named an All-American.

Following this season, White opted to transfer to Division I Colorado to play for Tad Boyle and to test his skills in the Pac-12 Conference, one of the top college leagues in the country.[11] After sitting out the 2015–16 season per NCAA rules, White excelled in his lone season with the Buffaloes, averaging 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and a member of the five-man All-Defensive team.[12]

Professional career[edit]

San Antonio Spurs (2017–2022)[edit]

White in 2019

White was one of 60 NBA prospects invited to the 2017 NBA Draft Combine.[13] He was one of only 15 combine invitees who had not been Rivals top-150 prospects in high school, and one of only three who did not sign with Division I programs out of high school. In addition, according to Yahoo! Sports writer Jeff Eisenberg, he was also "the only one who will use part of his first NBA contract to pay off student loans he accumulated paying for tuition at UCCS as a freshman."[9]

The San Antonio Spurs drafted White with the 29th pick of the 2017 NBA draft.[14] White was later included in the Spurs' 2017 NBA Summer League roster.[15] On July 6, White signed with the Spurs.[16]

On October 18, 2017, White made his NBA debut, coming off the bench in a 107–99 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.[17] On October 31, 2017, he was sent along with Dāvis Bertāns to the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League.[18] White suffered a fractured right wrist during a G League game against the Texas Legends. He was then recalled to San Antonio several days later.[19][20] On March 12, 2018, White scored a career-high 14 points along with four rebounds, one assist, and a block in a 93-109 loss to the Houston Rockets.[21]

On April 14, 2018, White made his NBA playoffs debut, coming off the bench with seven points, an assist, a steal, and a block in a 92–113 loss to the Golden State Warriors in game 1 of the series.[22]

On October 12, 2018, White was revealed to have a left plantar fascia tear.[23] On November 7, White made his season debut recording one rebound and three assists in a 95–88 loss to the Miami Heat.[24] On December 31, White scored his career-high 22 points with three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in a 120–111 win over the Boston Celtics.[25] On January 10, 2019, White scored another career-high 23 points with eight assists, five rebounds, two steals and a block in a double-overtime 154–147 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder.[26] On January 30, 2019 against the Brooklyn Nets, White then recorded a then career-high 26 points.[27] On April 18, 2019, against the Denver Nuggets, White recorded another career-high of 36 points to give San Antonio a 2–1 lead in the first round of the 2019 playoffs.

On December 21, 2020, the Spurs announced that they had signed White to a reported four-year, $73 million rookie scale extension.[28][29] On April 1, 2021, White hit a career-high 7 three-pointers in a 129–134 double overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.[30]

Boston Celtics (2022–present)[edit]

On February 10, 2022, White was traded to the Boston Celtics in exchange for Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, a 2022 first-round pick (which turned into Blake Wesley) and the rights to swap 2028 first-round picks.[31] White played his first game with the Celtics a day later and finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists.

During Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat, White scored 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting, alongside five assists and three steals, in a 111–103 loss.[32] The Celtics would go on to eliminate the Heat, earning White his first Finals appearance in his career.[33] In Game 1 of the NBA Finals, he logged 21 points and three assists in a 120–108 victory over the Golden State Warriors.[34] The Celtics went on to lose the series in six games despite a 2–1 lead.

White began the 2022-23 season as a starter for the Celtics. On February 10, he scored a career high 33 points against the Charlotte Hornets in a 127–116 victory.[35] Three days later on February 13, 2023, White was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week, after averaging 24.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 7.5 assists as a starter in place of the injured Marcus Smart.[36]

In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, White made a buzzer-beating put-back shot as time expired to beat the Miami Heat 104–103 to force a Game 7, saving the Celtics from elimination.[37][38][39] White became the second player in NBA history to hit a buzzer-beating game-winner with his team trailing and facing elimination, joining Michael Jordan's "The Shot" in 1989.[40] The Celtics went on to lose Game 7 at home, 84–103, in which White had 18 points.[41]

During the 2022-23 season, White started 70 games and appeared in all 82 regular season games, both career highs. He also shot 38.1% from three and 87.5% from the free throw line, both being career highs. His 76 blocked shots were also career high. In May, White was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second team for the first time.[42]

On March 18, 2024, White put up his first career triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 119–94 victory over the Detroit Pistons.[43]

National team career[edit]

On August 24, 2019, White was included in the US national team's final roster for the 2019 FIBA Basketball World Cup.[44]

Personal life[edit]

White married Hannah Schneider in August 2021.[45] They had their first son, Hendrix James White, on May 19, 2022, who is named for Jimi Hendrix.[46] Their second son, Daxton White, was born on November 4, 2023.[47]

Career statistics[edit]

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

NBA[edit]

Regular season[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2017–18 San Antonio 17 0 8.2 .485 .615 .700 1.5 .5 .2 .2 3.2
2018–19 San Antonio 67 55 25.8 .479 .338 .772 3.7 3.9 1.0 .7 9.9
2019–20 San Antonio 68 20 24.7 .458 .366 .853 3.3 3.5 .6 .9 11.3
2020–21 San Antonio 36 32 29.5 .411 .346 .851 3.0 3.5 .7 1.0 15.4
2021–22 San Antonio 49 48 30.3 .426 .314 .869 3.5 5.6 1.0 .9 14.4
Boston 26 4 27.4 .409 .306 .853 3.4 3.5 .6 .6 11.0
2022–23 Boston 82 70 28.3 .462 .381 .875 3.6 3.9 .7 .9 12.4
2023–24 Boston 73 73 32.6 .461 .396 .901 4.2 5.2 1.0 1.2 15.2
Career 418 302 27.5 .450 .363 .854 3.5 4.1 .8 .9 12.3

Playoffs[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2018 San Antonio 3 0 6.0 .500 .500 .0 .3 .3 .7 2.3
2019 San Antonio 7 7 27.3 .547 .294 .731 3.0 3.0 .7 .7 15.1
2022 Boston 23 3 25.4 .364 .313 .824 3.0 2.7 .9 .6 8.5
2023 Boston 20 16 29.7 .505 .455 .912 3.0 2.1 .6 1.0 13.4
Career 53 26 26.2 .456 .387 .829 2.8 2.4 .7 .8 10.9

College[edit]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2012–13 Colorado–Colorado Springs 24 24 29.6 .426 .342 .808 3.8 2.1 1.5 1.0 16.8
2013–14 Colorado–Colorado Springs 28 28 30.6 .480 .286 .826 6.3 4.2 1.1 1.5 22.2
2014–15 Colorado–Colorado Springs 33 33 32.2 .529 .336 .838 7.4 5.2 2.2 2.1 25.8
2016–17 Colorado 34 32 32.8 .507 .396 .813 4.1 4.4 1.2 1.4 18.1
Career 119 117 31.5 .494 .350 .824 5.4 4.1 1.5 1.5 20.9

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Derrick White Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "Derrick White College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Archived from the original on November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  3. ^ Rohlin, Melissa (June 5, 2022). "NBA Finals 2022: Celtics found a hero in Derrick White". Fox Sports. Retrieved March 10, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Zahlmann, Luke (February 17, 2023). "Derrick White relishes chance to be honored at Legend where basketball career took flight". The Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Yang, Nicole (May 9, 2023). "Derrick White has always bet on himself. Finally, it's paying off". The Boston Globe. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Derrick White | Player bio". NBA.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  7. ^ Christensen, Eric (February 20, 2023). "Derrick White returns to old high school: "When I'm done hoopin' I'm going to be back here because Colorado means a lot to me"". CBS News Colorado. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  8. ^ a b "Derrick White A Bright Spot In Probable Lost Season For Buffs". denver.cbs.local.com. March 7, 2017. Archived from the original on September 29, 2017. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  9. ^ a b c Eisenberg, Jeff (May 8, 2017). "How Colorado's Derrick White went from unrecruited to unlikely NBA prospect". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on March 25, 2020. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
  10. ^ Jhabvala, Nicki (April 19, 2015). "Derrick White, a 3-year standout guard at UCCS, transfers to Colorado". Denver Post. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  11. ^ Barnhouse, Wendell (December 21, 2016). "How former DII All-American Derrick White became Colorado's 'best player'". fanragsports.com. Retrieved May 6, 2017.[permanent dead link]
  12. ^ Rooney, Pat (March 6, 2017). "Derrick White's lone season with CU Buffs reaps All-Pac-12, All-Defensive team honors". Daily Camera. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
  13. ^ Rooney, Pat (April 29, 2017). "Derrick White to represent CU at NBA draft combine". buffzone.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
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  20. ^ "SAN ANTONIO RECALLS DERRICK WHITE FROM AUSTIN SPURS | San Antonio Spurs". San Antonio Spurs. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved March 12, 2018.
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  25. ^ "Spurs scored 46 in third to race past Celtics, 120-111". ESPN.com. December 31, 2018. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2018.
  26. ^ "Aldridge scores 56, Spurs outlast Thunder 154-147 in 2OT". ESPN.com. January 10, 2019. Archived from the original on January 11, 2019. Retrieved January 11, 2019.
  27. ^ "Derrick White's career night leads Spurs past Nets, 117-114". Archived from the original on February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
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  29. ^ "Spurs sign Derrick White to four-year, $73M contract extension". December 21, 2020. Archived from the original on December 22, 2020. Retrieved December 29, 2020.
  30. ^ Dominguez, Raul (April 1, 2021). "Capela, Young guide Hawks past Spurs 134-129 in 2 OT". Associated Press. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  31. ^ "Celtics Acquire Derrick White From Spurs". nba.com. February 10, 2022. Archived from the original on February 11, 2022. Retrieved February 10, 2022.
  32. ^ "Miami Heat vs Boston Celtics May 27, 2022 Box Scores | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  33. ^ "Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat May 29, 2022 Game Summary | NBA.com". www.nba.com. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  34. ^ "Celtics vs. Warriors score: Jaylen Brown, Al Horford lead Boston to upset victory in Game 1 vs. Golden State". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 2, 2022.
  35. ^ Dudek, Greg (February 11, 2023). "Celtics Wrap: Derrick White's Career Night Fuels Boston's 3-Point Party". NESN.com.
  36. ^ "NBA recognizes Derrick White for recent hot streak". RSN. February 13, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  37. ^ Songco, Paolo (May 27, 2023). "WATCH: Celtics' Derrick White forces Game 7 with season-saving tip-in at the buzzer vs Heat". ClutchPoints. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  38. ^ "Derrick White hits tip-in at buzzer, Celtics force Game 7 against Heat with unbelievable win". www.cbsnews.com. May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  39. ^ Robb, Brian (May 28, 2023). "Celtics beat Heat in Game 6 thriller after Derrick White game winner". masslive. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  40. ^ Goss, Nick (May 28, 2023). "Derrick White joins Michael Jordan as only players to achieve this NBA playoff feat". sports.yahoo.com. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  41. ^ "Jimmy Butler, Caleb Martin lead Heat past Celtics in Game 7". NBA.com. May 30, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  42. ^ "Jaren Jackson Jr. headlines 2022-23 Kia NBA All-Defensive teams". NBA.com. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  43. ^ Sampson, Peter (March 18, 2024). "Derrick White's first career triple-double has teammates, Celtics fans hyped". ClutchPoints. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  44. ^ "2019 USA Basketball Men's World Cup Team Roster Announced". usab.com. August 24, 2019. Archived from the original on August 24, 2019. Retrieved August 24, 2019.
  45. ^ "Who is Derrick White's wife Hannah Schneider and when did they get married". August 24, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  46. ^ "Derrick White shares photo of newborn son". May 19, 2022. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  47. ^ "Celtics' Derrick White, wife Hannah welcome second child". bostonglobe.com. Retrieved December 26, 2023.

External links[edit]