Before Derrick White was an NBA champion or Olympic gold medalist, he was an overlooked G League player for the San Antonio Spurs. In 2022, after breaking out on a tanking Spurs team, the Boston Celtics saw his potential and traded for him, adding one of the final pieces to their 2024 championship roster.
White has long gone on the record explaining how Gregg Popovich influenced him and turned him into the excellent player he is today, although the Spurs had plenty of veterans aside from Pop.
He missed out on playing with Tim Duncan, although he shared the floor with Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rudy Gay, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Dejounte Murray, and Patty Mills, who all helped show him the ropes.
White recently credited a Hall of Famer for helping him find his footing as a mostly-overlooked youngster early in his career.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – APRIL 20: Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics dribbles against the Orlando Magic in Game One of the Eastern Conference First Round NBA Playoffs at TD Garden on April 20, 2025 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Derrick White Learned From Pau Gasol
Most of the veterans White had early in his career were fully bought into “The Spurs Way,” which is not a bad thing. It taught him how to thrive in a system and play hard on both sides of the ball.
However, White was not long for San Antonio, so having Gasol, who is best known for winning two titles alongside Kobe Bryant on the Los Angeles Lakers, take him under his wing was incredibly valuable.
“Pau was awesome, and he was much like vocal,” explained White on the September 23 episode of his White Noise Podcast. “He would just be like, ‘This is what we did in LA.’ I could kind of see like the vision of Phil Jackson versus Pop, the difference between them and how they coach, which I thought was pretty cool.”
Popovich and Jackson are widely considered two of the best coaches of all time, although they managed to get the job done differently. While comparing White and Bryant is like comparing apples and oranges, there are shades of Mamba Mentality in White’s game.
Derrick White Could Make All-Star Leap
Last season, White had the best season of his career, averaging 16.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 1.1 blocks while shooting 38.4% from behind the arc. In Boston, he was far from the best player behind Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Jrue Holiday.
This season, he will return to Boston, although Tatum is out for at least half of the season with a torn Achilles, and Holiday is suiting up for the Portland Trail Blazers.
The NBA has confirmed that it will adopt a USA vs. World format for the All-Star Game, and with Tatum, Damian Lillard, and Tyrese Haliburton all injured, there could be room on the American squad for White to make his first All-Star team.
As the NBA grapples with players not giving their best effort in the exhibition game, adding a player like White might raise the competitive bar, which is a massive priority for Adam Silver.
Derrick White Credits Kobe Bryant’s Teammate With His Success