It wasn\u2019t until that flight \u2014 leaving one unfamiliar city for another \u2014 that the emotions began to hit White in rapid succession.<\/p>\n
Coby White wants to be remembered for the work.<\/p>\n
There were more hard times than celebrations during the former Bulls guard\u2019s six seasons in Chicago. Only one of those seasons ended with a winning record or a playoff series. Failure was a constant. Frustration too. White knows that. He can\u2019t change it now.<\/p>\n
But those weren\u2019t the memories White wanted to recall Tuesday, when he was scheduled to make his debut for the Charlotte Hornets in the arena he previously called home for his entire NBA career. When he steps onto the United Center court \u2014 both Tuesday and for every future game there \u2014 White hopes Chicago will remember him as a player who never stopped trying to be better.<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to just be an inspiration to guys who maybe early on didn\u2019t pan out like everybody thought they would,\u201d White said. \u201cSome guys come in the league and they\u2019re good their whole career. I had to develop and I had to really work.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had so many different roles and I went from averaging nine points to 20 points per game. The development part of it, the part when everybody counts you out \u2014 you\u2019ve still got time to always change that narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n
White knew this was coming, though not too far in advance. Even in the weeks leading up to the trade deadline, he held out hope that the Bulls could see a future with him, that he could shake his calf injuries for good and begin leading the team to wins.<\/p>\n
But when Kevin Huerter and Nikola Vu\u010devi\u0107 were dealt in quick succession two days before the deadline, White felt the shift coming. In the locker room after that night\u2019s game in Milwaukee \u2014 a night White knew would be his last in a Bulls jersey \u2014 the reality of the future began to sink in.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had a feeling,\u201d White said. \u201cYou could read between the lines. It ain\u2019t hard in this league, in this business, to see what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call came the next morning after White logged an off-day workout in Toronto. Executive vice president of basketball operations Art\u016bras Karni\u0161ovas called him shortly before the news of the trade<\/a> went public. White had enough time to fit in a handful of goodbyes in the team hotel before catching a flight to Houston to meet his new team.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t until that flight \u2014 leaving one unfamiliar city for another \u2014 that the emotions began to hit White in rapid succession.<\/p>\n
![\"Bulls](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771975936_143_CTC-BULLS-HAWKS-80_245581830.jpg\")
Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu, right, hugs guard Coby White after beating he Hawks on Oct. 27, 2025, at the United Center. (Dominic Di Palermo\/Chicago Tribune)<\/p>\n