Derrick White (basketball)

Derrick Richard White (born July 2, 1994) is an American professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Buffalo", White played three years of college basketball in Division II for the Colorado–Colorado Springs Mountain Lions before transferring to Division I's Colorado Buffaloes for his final year.

White was selected 29th overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2017 NBA draft. In February 2022, he was traded to the Celtics, becoming a key contributor when they reached the 2022 NBA Finals. White became a starter in the 2022–23 season and was selected to his first NBA All-Defensive Team that season and his second the next season. White won his first NBA championship when the Celtics beat the Dallas Mavericks in five games during the 2024 NBA Finals.

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

White scored over 1,000 points in his career. At the time of his graduation in 2012, he was a six-foot combo guard. In February 2023, White was honored as the first-ever Legend Hall of Fame inductee.

College career
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, White was barely 6 ft tall—after growing two inches during his senior year. 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's Colorado–Colorado Springs, and offered White a room-and-board stipend for his freshman season.

Culver only expected 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 ft. As it turned out, White reached that potential height by the time he enrolled at Colorado–Colorado Springs. 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, White averaged 25.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Mountain Lions, leading the team to the 2015 NCAA tournament. He was named an All-American.

Following his junior season, White opted to transfer to Division I Colorado to play for Tad Boyle and test his skills in the Pac-12 Conference, one of the top conferences in the country. 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. White was named first-team All-Pac-12 and a member of the five-man All-Defensive team.

San Antonio Spurs (2017–2022)
White was one of 60 NBA prospects invited to the 2017 NBA draft combine. 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, White 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."

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

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

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 113–92 loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the series.

On October 12, 2018, White was revealed to have a left plantar fascia tear. On November 7, he made his season debut recording one rebound and three assists in a 95–88 loss to the Miami Heat. On December 31, White scored a career-high 22 points with three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal in a 120–111 victory over the Boston Celtics. On January 10, 2019, he scored another career-high 23 points with eight assists, five rebounds, two steals, and a block in a 154–147 double-overtime victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On January 31 against the Brooklyn Nets, White then recorded a then-career-high 26 points as the Spurs won 117–114. On April 18 against the Denver Nuggets, he recorded a then-playoff 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. On April 1, 2021, he hit a career-high seven three-pointers in a 129–134 double-overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks.

2021–22 season: First Finals appearance
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. He made his Celtics debut the following day and finished with 15 points, six rebounds, and two assists as the Celtics defeated the Denver Nuggets 108–102.

During Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat on May 27, White scored 22 points on 7-for-14 shooting, alongside five assists and three steals, in a 111–103 loss. The Celtics would go on to eliminate the Heat in seven games, earning White his first Finals appearance in his career. In Game 1 of the NBA Finals on June 2, White had 21 points and three assists during a 120–108 comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors. The Celtics went on to lose the series in six games despite a 2–1 lead.

2022–23 season: Transition to starter
White began the season as a starter for the Celtics. On February 10, 2023, against the Charlotte Hornets, he scored a career-high 33 points in a 127–116 victory. Three days later, he 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.

In Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals on May 27, White made a buzzer-beating put-back shot as time expired to narrowly beat the Miami Heat 104–103 to force a Game 7 in Boston, saving the Celtics from elimination. He 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. Two days later, the Celtics went on to lose Game 7 103–84, in which White had 18 points.

White started in 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, while registering 76 blocked shots (all career highs). In May, White was named to the NBA All-Defensive second team for the first time.

2023–24 season: First NBA championship
White remained a starter after Marcus Smart was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in the offseason. White's production increased as he averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 assists, and 4.2 rebounds per game. He appeared in 73 games (all starts) and shot 46.1 percent from the field, including a career-high 39.6 percent from three. On March 18, 2024, White recorded his first career triple-double with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 119–94 victory over the Detroit Pistons.

During Game 4 of the first round of the playoffs against the Miami Heat on April 29, 2024, White had a playoff career-high 38 points in a 102–88 road victory. During Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers on May 27, he scored 16 points and made the game-winning three-pointer as the Celtics completed a 105–102 comeback victory and advanced to the 2024 NBA Finals. White helped the Celtics win the NBA Finals, where they defeated the Dallas Mavericks in five games.

2024–25 season: Contract extension
On July 1, 2024, White signed a four-year, $125.9 million extension with the Celtics.

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

On July 10, 2024, White was chosen as a member of the 2024 United States men's Olympic basketball team as part of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. Team USA was in need of a replacement player for Kawhi Leonard, who withdrew from the roster that same day.

Personal life
White married Hannah Schneider in August 2021. Their first son, Hendrix James, who is named for Jimi Hendrix, was born on May 19, 2022. Their second son, Daxton, was born on November 4, 2023.

Endorsements
White has endorsement deals with the Boston-based beverage companies Samuel Adams and Culture Pop, and has appeared in commercials and on billboards advertising these brands.