NBA
DW
#9

Derrick White

Guard · Boston Celtics · 6'4", 190 lb · Born Jul 2, 1994 · Parker, Colorado · Drafted 29th overall, 2017
2024 Champion2× All-Defensive🥇 Olympic gold (2024)Swiss Army Knife
NBABoston CelticsGuards
Compare:vs Scheiermanvs Tatumvs Walshvs Garzavs Robinsonvs George
In short

Derrick White is an elite two-way guard for the Boston Celtics, a 2024 NBA champion, and a 2024 Olympic gold medalist. One of basketball's great late bloomers — he started at Division II UCCS before transferring to Colorado — he was drafted 29th in 2017 by San Antonio, traded to Boston in 2022, and became a two-time All-Defensive guard whose shot-blocking is nearly unmatched at his position.

Matchup model · next gameMedium confidenceTue, Nov 10
@Atlanta HawksAggressive hedge & help
Proj. points
16.5
range 13.8–19.2
Line 16.5
50%
to go over
Team win
36%
111–114
Poi 16.5 Lean overReb 4.4 Lean underAss 5.4 Lean underPRA 26.3 Lean under
Likely on himOnyeka Okongwu· 78 Rim protectionStrong defender
15+ pts69%20+ pts12%

Model lines White at 16.5 pts (range 13.8–19.2) vs a 16.5 line — roughly a coin flip to clear it (50%).

Model favors Atlanta Hawks (64%), projected 111–114, ~225 total at 97 pace.

Full matchup breakdown · all markets →
Balladex Matchup Model — modeled from real roster ratings, scoring baselines & defender-matchup history. Schedule, availability & head-to-head samples are illustrative in this prototype; production wires live schedule, injury & player-tracking feeds. Not betting advice.
✦ Ask anything about White
The White Story — narrated
Tap play to hear his story, told as a 90-second short.
🔊 Prototype uses your browser's built-in voice. Production would use a studio-grade AI narrator.

A Division II guard who paid off his student loans with his first NBA check — and became a champion and Olympic gold medalist.

Unrecruited out of Colorado, White starred at Division II UCCS, transferred to Colorado, and was drafted 29th by San Antonio in 2017.

🦬 D-II UCCS → Colorado29th, 2017

Traded to Boston in 2022, he hit a buzzer-beating put-back to force Game 7 of the 2023 Conference Finals.

Traded to BOS, 20222023 G6 put-back

He won the 2024 title, earned Olympic gold, and set a Celtics record with 246 threes in a season.

🏆 2024 champ · 🥇 gold246 threes · record

A two-time All-Defensive guard, he blocked 7 shots in a 2025 game — tying the record for a guard.

2× All-Defensive7 blocks · guard record
— end of story —
Want the full numbers? Open the breakdown →
PPG
16.5
2025-26
RPG
4.4
per game
APG
5.4
per game
FG%
.394
.327 from three
LIFE

Roots & the rise

The Division II late bloomer who became a champion and one of the NBA's best two-way guards.

Derrick Richard White grew up in Parker, Colorado, went unrecruited out of high school, and played three years at Division II UCCS before transferring to the University of Colorado, where he became a first-team All-Pac-12 guard. San Antonio drafted him 29th in 2017, and he famously used part of his first NBA paycheck to pay off his UCCS student loans.

Traded to Boston in 2022, he blossomed into a two-way force — a two-time All-Defensive guard who blocks shots at a rare rate, hit an iconic buzzer-beating put-back to force Game 7 of the 2023 Conference Finals, won the 2024 NBA title, and earned Olympic gold with Team USA in 2024. In 2025 he set a franchise record with 246 three-pointers in a season.

Sources: Wikipedia, NBA.com, Basketball-Reference, ESPN.

BEYOND THE GAME

Beyond the game

White's story is the ultimate late-bloomer arc: a 5-foot-something high schooler who grew late, went to Division II, and willed himself into an NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist. His UCCS roots stayed with him — he became the school's first athletic Hall of Fame inductee and repaid his college loans with his first pro money. Teammate Neemias Queta nicknamed him 'The Swiss Army Knife' for doing a bit of everything.

He married Hannah Schneider in 2021 and has two sons, Hendrix (named after Jimi Hendrix) and Daxton. Understated and universally respected, White is the model modern role player — a guard who defends, blocks shots, shoots the three, and never needs the ball to change a game.

PERSONALITY

The person

A do-everything, unselfish two-way guard — defense, shot-blocking, and shooting from a late bloomer.

Shot-blocking guardBlocks shots at a rare rate for a guard — 7 in one game (2025), tying a guard record.
Two-wayTwo-time All-Defensive; a 246-three franchise-record shooting season.
Late bloomerDivision II UCCS to NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist.
PLAYER DNA

Archetype & ratings

Archetype
Two-Way Guard · Rim-Pressuring
Temperament
Connector
Leadership
74/100
Scoring68
Playmaking70
Rebounding45
Perimeter D82
Rim protection23
Spacing58
Athleticism70
Clutch66
Two-way guardShot-blocking guardChampion
ANALYSIS

What the numbers say

The perfect modern role player

White does everything a champion needs from a guard: he defends multiple positions, blocks shots at a center's rate for his size, spaces the floor (a franchise-record 246 threes in 2025), and makes the extra pass. He's the connective two-way piece that makes stars' jobs easier — and the reason Boston has stayed elite even through Tatum's injury.

Rising importance

With Tatum sidelined and Jaylen Brown traded, White's role only grew in 2025-26 — more on-ball creation on top of his defense and shooting. His combination of availability, IQ, and two-way versatility makes him arguably Boston's most indispensable non-Tatum player.

STATS

Season by season

Per game

SeasonGPMINPTSREBASTFG%3P%
2025-267734.116.54.45.4.394.327

Source: Basketball-Reference.

ADVANCED

Advanced & historical

Where he sits in history

2024NBA champion and Olympic gold medalist with Team USA
2023Buzzer-beating put-back to force Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals
2025Set the Celtics single-season record with 246 three-pointers

Hardware

1×
NBA Champion (2024)
2×
All-Defensive Second Team
🥇
Olympic gold (2024)
OUTLOOK

Where it's headed

AI-generated · updated July 13, 2026

An elite two-way guard in his prime — Boston's connective backbone on both ends.

On a four-year, $125.9 million extension, White is one of the league's best two-way guards: defense, shot-blocking, shooting, and playmaking in one low-maintenance package. His importance only rose through Boston's 2025-26 reshaping.

Perimeter defenseElite
Shot-blocking (guard)Rare
Three-point shootingStrong
PlaymakingSolid

Contract

Deal
4 yr / $125.9M signed 2024
Role
Two-way guard starter
Age
31 prime
Bottom line

The Division II kid who became a champion, an Olympian, and one of the NBA's best two-way guards. Boston's indispensable connective piece.

FAQ

Quick answers

Where did Derrick White go to college?

He started at Division II UCCS before transferring to the University of Colorado; San Antonio drafted him 29th overall in 2017.

What is Derrick White known for?

Elite two-way play — perimeter defense, rare shot-blocking for a guard, and three-point shooting; he's a 2024 champion and Olympic gold medalist.

How did Derrick White join the Celtics?

Boston acquired him from San Antonio in a February 2022 trade, and he became a two-way starter and 2024 champion.