Coby White is returning to his home state. The former North Carolina hoops standout, and Goldsboro, N.C. native, was traded on Wednesday to the Charlotte Hornets after six-plus seasons with the Chicago Bulls, ESPN reports.

In his one season at UNC, White earned All-ACC Second Team honors after he averaged 16.1 points. 4.1 assists and set the program record for three-pointers made by a freshman. He helped lead the Tar Heels to a 29-7 record, tying for first place in the ACC (16-2), and earning a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

White was the No. 7 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft by the Bulls, before being named to the 2019-20 NBA All-Rookie team. Prior to being dealt on Wednesday, White had spent his entire seven-year NBA career with Chicago, averaging 15.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game.

White joins a surging Hornets team that has won seven straight contests, and eight of their last 10 to find themselves one game outside the NBA play-in tournament with 31 games remaining.

The Wilson (N.C.) Greenfield School product led the Bulls in scoring this past season with 20.4 points per game to go along with 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Over the past three seasons, White has started all but five games and has solidified his role as one of the Bulls’ franchise players.

After missing the first 11 games of the 2025-26 season nursing a calf strain, White is averaging 18.6 points in 29 games this season to go along with 4.7 assists and 3.7 rebounds.

Turning 26 on Feb. 16, White is in the final year of a three-year $36 million contract, and will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season, eligible for up to a four-year, $89 million dollar contract this offseason.

“I’m still only 25 but I’m reaching that vet status,” White told Inside Carolina in September about his focus for the 2025-26 season. “So for me it’s, how can I become a better leader? How can I become a better teammate? And obviously still working on my craft to become a better player. But how can I continue to lead my team to victories and help us in any way that I can to get over that hump.”

This past September, White returned to Chapel Hill to host his second annual youth basketball camp in the Smith Center.

“I really enjoy it, being around the kids, obviously giving back to the community here, especially in eastern North Carolina, where I’m from,” White said. “I always enjoy these type of events, to get to connect with the kids, see the kids. It’s not every day they get a chance to be around a player that’s in the NBA.”