The Boston Celtics are home to point guard Derrick White now, but there was a moment in his NBA career where the move felt like a bit of a slap in the face, even after hearing from the head coach of his tea, the iconic San Antonio Spurs head honcho Gregg Popovich. Coming from a background at the NCAA level where, when he started, it was not even clear he’d make the NBA, never mind excel in it, the Spurs were the team that believed in White and helped mold him into the borderline All-Star he has become today.

And the University of Colorado alum had a lot going on at the moment in his personal life, which he related in the first episode of his own podcast, “White Noise podcast with Derrick White”. “Getting traded during the season is one of the craziest things I’ve had to deal with in my NBA career,” he explained. “You’re on a team, you’re committed to them, you’re trying to do everything you can to help them win games. And then one day they’re like, ‘All right, you’re on the Celtics.'”

“I was hurt,” he added. “Definitely, when they traded me … I think Jakob Poeltl came to my room after I got traded. And I was like, ‘Why don’t they want me?’ That’s kind of what it’s like—Why don’t they believe in me? Why don’t they see their future with me there? I was just like, ‘Why don’t they want me?'”

“I was cool with the rebuild… but obviously, getting traded is crazy,” continued White. “My wife was seven months pregnant—that makes things even crazier. And I think getting traded to Boston makes it even crazier— The roads make zero sense. You don’t know where you’re going. Everything’s so confusing.”

Thankfully, we know that the story had a happy ending, with Boston welcoming the Colorado alum, the team letting him spread his wings on the way to a title in 2024. But it had a bit of a rocky start, with infamous articles questioning whether his deal was an overpay, and White himself second-guessing the move.