- San Antonio Spurs
- Boston Celtics
SAN ANTONIO — Derrick White shares a unique bond with Gregg Popovich.
Beyond playing for him for five seasons, the now-Boston Celtics star was among the few players who didn’t have much self-confidence. Ever the realist, Popovich snapped him out of it.
“I don’t think he believed he belonged in the NBA,” the coach said. “(I did) the same thing anybody else would’ve done … making him believe that you really believe what you’re saying to him, and showing him a lot of love.”
Derrick White reflected on his NBA journey and the role that Gregg Popovich played:
“He just kept pushing me, and he knew he saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself… I used to be in the mail room and he’d walk in and say, ‘you belong’ and walk out.”
(Via @CLNSMedia) pic.twitter.com/qxJvHLTgbw
— Noa Dalzell (@NoaDalzell) January 1, 2024
It wasn’t long before White began to prove himself. By his third season, the point guard was averaging double figures on offense and keeping the ball safe. He became an impact player for the San Antonio Spurs, still struggling to contend in the Western Conference, and improved with repetition.
“In development he was outstanding,” Popovich said. “He had size at (his) position … the immediate thing you could see was that he had a nose for the game.”
Then White was traded. Popovich kept it real then, too.
“We wouldn’t f*** you,” he told White. “We sent you to Boston.”
Gregg Popovich: “Hey, uh… we traded you.”
Derrick: “To where?”
Pop: “Don’t worry, we didn’t f*ck you, we’re sending you to Boston.”
Derrick White describes his exchange with Coach Popovich the night he got traded pic.twitter.com/KYeLS8miC2
— Kicks (@kicks) July 28, 2025
White was traded to the Celtics in a deal that netted the Spurs Josh Richardson — later flipped for Devonte’ Graham, Harrison Ingram and three additional second-round picks; Romeo Langford; a 2022 first-round pick, which became Blake Wesley; and a 2028 first-round pick swap.
“I was shocked,” White said. “It was a world of emotions.”
Beyond the unused draft picks, only Ingram remains in San Antonio, assuming he accepts his tendered qualifying offer to return on a two-way deal next season. Meanwhile, White has become an impact player in Boston, especially during its 2024 championship run.
Hindsight is 20/20. And while San Antonio may regret moving White in the long run, the point guard certainly doesn’t regret any time spent with Popovich.
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