Celtics teammates Jrue Holiday, Derrick White and Jayson Tatum pose for a photo during Team USA practice in Abu Dhabi.
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — When the roster for Team USA was announced last spring, there was always the likelihood of a lineup change, the cost of doing business with Kawhi Leonard and his injury history.
So it was no big surprise when Kawhi and his tricky knee couldn’t make it to the first exhibition game, let alone the Paris Games.
But what happened next was a one-word reaction — seriously? — that not only described the identity of his replacement, but the entire basketball journey of his replacement.
That’s because Derrick White is an Olympian, hard to fathom for someone who couldn’t even manage a place on a Division I roster once he left high school 12 years ago.
“Glad to be here,” said White, arriving just hours before Sunday’s practice. “Super grateful.”
That was also his response when he transferred from D-II to the University of Colorado and began an unlikely basketball footprint that made an impression from San Antonio to Boston to this, a rare chance to be amongst 12 chosen ones for the Olympics.
Derrick White has joined the #USABMNT in Abu Dhabi! pic.twitter.com/K7LoEJW3aK
— NBA (@NBA) July 14, 2024
D-White’s first day in camp!
🇺🇸 #USABMNT pic.twitter.com/46GXSxS25l
— USA Basketball (@usabasketball) July 14, 2024
White has never been an All-Star, or All-NBA, or won a major award, or led the league in any statistical category. But Team USA doesn’t have a tryout; more than anything else, this team is all about a try-on — what players fit best in the scheme of things.
For White, his defense, especially on the perimeter, won him over with USA Basketball director Grant Hill and the coaching staff. White was a key factor in the Celtics winning this year’s NBA title, using defensive flexibility and reach at 6-4, ball handling and reliable 3-point shooting to become the perfect complement to Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.
In this situation, Team USA is loaded with future Hall of Famers. In order to make chemistry happen, especially in international basketball and against countries whose players have known each other and played alongside each other for years, Team USA needs role players.
Not everyone can start or command major minutes. White will be used whenever needed, when the situation calls for his particular gifts.
“I just want to go out there and do what I do, try to fill any holes we might have,” he said.
He gives Team USA its third member of the Celtics, though he wasn’t the third member everyone expected.
Brown had arguably the best two-month run of any NBA player this summer when he won MVP of the Eastern Conference Finals, then followed up with the NBA Finals MVP. Once Kawhi was officially a scratch, Brown took to social media to campaign for the spot.
Well: Team USA officials believe they already have all the ingredients that Brown would supply, and that White’s ability to serve a specific role would better serve the team.
And anyway, Team USA officials didn’t even want to be in this position until the Kawhi situation forced their hands.
About that: Hill and Kerr witnessed a private workout by Kawhi last month in Los Angeles and, according to sources, concerns were raised about his conditioning, mobility and confidence in his right knee. He was just weeks removed from a playoff series he couldn’t finish because of knee soreness.
When Team USA camp began in Las Vegas, Kawhi and the Clippers assured everyone that he was fine. And while he shot the ball well in scrimmages, he seemed limited and stiff.
The Clippers’ medical staff, on-site in Vegas, was alarmed, according to sources, and expressed serious concerns and misgivings. Hill and the USA staff had to make a decision, and well in time before preparations for Paris went too deep.
Which led them to White.
“I just thought Kawhi was going to continue,” said White, “but when I saw all that happen, I got the call.”
It didn’t hurt that Jeff Van Gundy, an advisor with Team USA, coached White on the 2019 USA team for the World Cup. Also, Gregg Popovich, a former coach of the men’s Olympic team, was White’s former coach with the Spurs. Evidently, White had powerful voices vouching for him.
“I’m obviously playing with Jrue (Holiday) and JT again,” he said. “It will be a lot of fun. Just looking forward to getting out there.”
Tatum said: “Excited to have him here. He never thought he’d be joining us. He’s come a long way, he’s an NBA champion and now an Olympian. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
When he rewinds his basketball journey, White often mentions how he was a late bloomer, someone who stood barely six feet when he left high school, and had the fortune of being drafted by the Spurs and coached by Popovich. His timing, as they say, has been impeccable.
And then the Spurs traded him to Boston two years ago, making him a missing piece to an eventual champion. That earned him a contract extension this summer, four years and $126 million.
Therefore, in the span of three weeks, a player nobody wanted in high school won an NBA title, earned a fat contract and was given a spot on the USA men’s Olympic basketball team.
Because his appointment to Team USA was very last-minute, White had two pressing issues when he received the news. The first was a discussion with his family. That went OK. Actually, more than OK. They told him to get on the plane.
And this:
“I’m supposed to be in Cabo right now,” he said. “But it’s better to be here.”
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Shaun Powell has covered the NBA for more than 25 years. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on X.
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