It is not an uncommon outcome for NBA players to find out they have been traded via social media, without a word from the front office of the team that they play for getting to them beforehand. But when Boston Celtics point guard Derrick White discovered that he had been dealt to the ball club he now suits up for, he heard it from legendary San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich himself.
Speaking on the inaugural episode of his new “White Noise” podcast, the Colorado native broke down how he learned of his trade to the Celtics at something of a crossroads moment in his life. “Pop calls me: ‘What room are you in?’ It’s trade deadline, so I’m like, ‘Oh, where am I going?’ He knocks on the door, sits down in my room, and goes, ‘Hey, uh, we traded you.’ (He) doesn’t say anything else.” began White.
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“I’m like, ‘To where?’ And he goes, ‘We wouldn’t (expletive) you. We sent you to Boston,'” added the University of Colorado alum.
“I just played that summer with (Jayson Tatum), (Jaylen Brown), and (Marcus) Smart,” continued White. “So I knew a bunch of people there. He’s like, ‘You’re going to be comfortable. They’ll kind of bring you along.’ And I’m like, ‘All right, yeah, that’s cool.’ I thought I’d fit well there, but also like—What? Why? What did I do?”
Those kinds of feelings are likely inevitable for a player dealing with a trade. But the embrace of Boston fans (and continued love from those who stan for San Antonio) has hopefully made it clear his move from the Spurs to the Celtics had everything to do with how valuable of a player he was, where each team was headed, and how best to respect the player he has become.
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Listen to “Havlicek Stole the Pod” on:
Spotify: https://tiny.ee/CdKp
iTunes: https://tiny.ee/RK47
YouTube: https://tiny.ee/cOW3
This article originally appeared on Celtics Wire: Derrick White on how coach Pop told him he’d been dealt to the Celtics