{"id":709679,"date":"2026-04-13T13:53:51","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:53:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/709679\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T13:53:51","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T13:53:51","slug":"the-least-likely-nba-player-to-have-a-podcast-is-doing-just-that","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/709679\/","title":{"rendered":"The least likely NBA player to have a podcast is doing just that"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBoston Celtics\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\tNot only does he have a podcast, but it\u2019s as illuminating and entertaining as any of the other player pods.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\n\tDerrick White has become a beloved member of the Celtics, and he’s now extending his reach to fans with his own podcast. Matthew J. Lee\/Globe Staff\t<\/p>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tBy Chad Finn<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tApril 13, 2026 | 9:41 AM\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

6 minutes to read<\/p>\n

Hosting a podcast has become something of an emblem of success for NBA<\/a> players, as well as way to pass the city-to-city drudgery of the long season.<\/p>\n

It might require fewer words to list the prominent players that don\u2019t have their own pods than those that do, the latter an ever-growing list that includes LeBron James, Draymond Green, Tyrese Maxey, Knicks\/Villanova pals Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart, Trae Young, Paul George, and CJ McCollum, and on and on, right on down the depth chart.<\/p>\n

When Derrick White<\/a> was acquired in an Auerbachian heist by Celtics president of basketball operations Brad Stevens from the Spurs in February 2022, he came across as uncommonly shy for an NBA player. He was just about the last Celtic you\u2019d think someday would have his own podcast.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tDerrick White talks beer, being a Bostonian, and a promising Celtics playoff run\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNBA coach dubs Derrick White as a \u2018top-5 player\u2019 in NBA\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

Yet here he is now, four seasons later, an NBA champion, Olympic gold medalist, and quintessential Celtic \u2014 one with a remarkably high approval rating among the fan base. And not only does he have a podcast, but it\u2019s as illuminating and entertaining as any of the other player pods.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe says, \u2018I think I\u2019ve come a long way,\u2019 \u201d says Alex Welsh, White\u2019s best friend and former college teammate, who co-hosts the podcast titled White Noise. \u201cWe did a crossover episode with Tommy Alter, who\u2019s one of the co-hosts of Old Man and the Three, which he started with JJ Redick back in the day. He asked Derrick, \u2018I\u2019ve known you for a while, and I would have never really thought you\u2019d have your own podcast.\u2019 And Derrick\u2019s like, \u2018Man, [expletive], me either.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWelsh is much more outgoing than I am,\u201d says White. \u201cI\u2019ve always been the quiet guy, the shy guy, and he can and will talk to anybody. It\u2019s a good little back and forth between the two of us. He has good energy, and it gives me a chance to show people who I really am.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Celtics guard Derrick White (rear) got to enjoy Sunday\u2019s regular season finale from the bench, along with son, Daxton, as Boston beat the Magic at TD Garden. \u2013 Mark Stockwell<\/p>\n

White Noise, which launched last June, has 27 episodes so far, and usually features a Celtics player as a guest. It\u2019s usually recorded in the basement studio of White\u2019s Lexington home, which is equipped with a set reminiscent of the memorabilia-covered walls at the late, great Canal Street sports bar The Fours.<\/p>\n

White and Welsh also sometimes record at the Auerbach Center, and Welsh \u2014 who in his day job works remotely in tech sales \u2014 will sometimes travel from his home in Colorado to meet White on the road.<\/p>\n

The podcast is superb on a couple of levels. It offers insight on the Celtics. Many of the morsels of behind-the-scenes anecdotes that end up getting aggregated or generating social media traction have come from the White Noise pod. A couple of the zanier stories about Joe Mazzulla\u2019s methods have come from the casually candid White, including the Celtics coach playing machine-gun sounds during practice, and emboldening the players to determine which players would start a game.<\/p>\n

\"Derrick White got his collegiate hoops start at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, where he teamed up and became best friends with Alex Welsh. The two have remained friends, and now host a podcast together. \u2013 David Zalubowski<\/p>\n

The other reason White Noise is such a worthwhile listen? The easy chemistry between White and Welsh.<\/p>\n

The most important aspect of any audio sports program is that the hosts sound like they are genuine friends, with a dialogue that the listener yearns to be part of. It\u2019s rarer than one would think.<\/p>\n

White and Welsh, who met as freshmen basketball players at Division 2 University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2012, don\u2019t require any guise of being pals. They are best friends, and it\u2019s their superpower as hosts.<\/p>\n

Welsh was an outstanding player in his own right. The 6-foot-7-inch forward broke White\u2019s UCCS career scoring record (\u201cHe holds that over my head,\u201d said White) and played professionally overseas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe came in together and basically became the best players by the end of our freshman year,\u201d said White. \u201cSo we had great chemistry on the court and every class together off the court, so we spent a lot of time together.\u201d<\/p>\n

White Noise came to be because a mutual friend \u2014 Austin Eastman, one of the founders of the social media brand Kicks, which handles the technical and social media aspects of the show now \u2014 was around White and Welsh often and was amused by their banter.<\/p>\n

Eastman told Welsh that they should host a podcast. \u201cHis pitch was, \u2018People love Derrick, and they barely know him, how lighthearted and fun he really is,\u201d said Welsh.<\/p>\n

Welsh brought it to White, who quickly decided he was onboard. \u201cOur friend [Eastman] was like, \u2018Welsh would be really good at it,\u2019 and I was like, \u2018OK, if you say so,\u2019 \u201d said White with a laugh.<\/p>\n

Welsh does lead the dialogue, and the casual, laughter-filled vibe of the show suggests this is exactly what White and Welsh might have sounded like while hanging out in their dorm playing NBA2K or Madden not long after arriving at UCCS back in 2012.<\/p>\n

The friendship endured even when White made the decision to level up to Division 1 and transfer to the University of Colorado after averaging 25.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game as a junior at UCCS in 2014-15.<\/p>\n

\"Derrick White transferred to the University of Colorado for his final collegiate season, before being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs 29th overall in the 2017 NBA draft. \u2013 David Zalubowski<\/p>\n

And it endured even after Welsh learned that White was transferring from someone else. \u201cI heard from a Colorado player,\u201d said Welsh. \u201cHe texted me, \u2018Man, we\u2019re hyped to have Derrick\u2019 or something. And I was like, what?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI was kind of trapped,\u201d said White. \u201cI was sort of secretly looking into it, and basically at the end of the process is when I decided that I was going to transfer. I went down to his room\u201d \u2014 White and Welsh lived in a house with some teammates \u2014 \u201cbecause he was like, \u2018You got something to say?\u2019 \u201c<\/p>\n

Welsh chuckles now at the recollection. \u201cI hear him come down the stairs, and anybody that knows Derrick, he doesn\u2019t like conflict. You think Derrick is shy now, you could picture him 10 years ago \u2014 super shy, he was all nervous. He\u2019s tells me, \u2018Hey man, I\u2019m transferring.\u2019 He looks at me and goes, \u2018Are you mad?\u2019 I said, \u2018No, bro, I\u2019m sad for me, but happy for you.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n

Said White, \u201cI was worried about how he felt, but he was super supportive, and that meant so much.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even great friendships can fade when circumstances change and the distance apart grows. White and Welsh made sure that didn\u2019t happen with a conscious effort to support each other. NCAA rules required White to redshirt a year after transferring, so he frequently attended his former teammates\u2019 games during the hiatus. \u201cHe was there when I broke the record for all-time points,\u201d said Welsh.<\/p>\n

When Welsh was playing overseas, he would get up at 4 a.m. to watch White\u2019s Colorado games. \u201cYou go the extra mile for people you care about,\u201d said Welsh.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously we were far apart when he was playing in a different country,\u201d said White, \u201cbut we\u2019ve always prioritized being there for each other. Our families are super close. His wife is close to my wife, our kids are about the same age. So we kind of experience all differ aspects of life together.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Now, Derrick White no longer lurks quietly in the shadows, on and off the court, as he\u2019s a NBA champion, a US Olympian, and now a rising podcast star. \u2013 Danielle Parhizkaran\/Globe Staff<\/p>\n

The first official season of White Noise will wrap up in a couple episodes. White is taking a hiatus when the Celtics playoff journey begins this week. Welsh will have a surprise co-host for the postseason, a \u201cbeloved member of the Celtics community,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

White will return to the show with his buddy this summer. In the meantime, their friendship will keep thriving, even if we won\u2019t be able to listen in on it for a little while.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe prides himself on being there for people,\u201d said Welsh. \u201cHe\u2019s my best friend. I\u2019d do anything for him, and I know he\u2019d do the same for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Profile\t<\/p>\n

\t\tChad Finn<\/a>Sports columnist\t<\/p>\n

Chad Finn is a sports columnist for Boston.com. He has been voted Favorite Sports Writer in Boston in the annual Channel Media Market and Research Poll for the past four years. He also writes a weekly sports media column for the Globe and contributes to Globe Magazine.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGet the latest Boston sports news<\/p>\n

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