Derrick White's father has a great take on son's success with Celtics
Derrick White's dad has a great take on son's success with Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
Derrick White has surprised a lot of people by blossoming into one of the Boston Celtics' most important players.
That may include his own parents.
White's father, Richard, caught up with NBC Sports Boston's Abby Chin at State Farm Arena on Friday night while watching his son's Celtics face the Atlanta Hawks in Game 3 of their first-round playoff series. When Chin asked Richard if he and his wife could have envisioned Derrick playing in the NBA back when he was a skinny, unrecruited high schooler, Richard replied honestly.
"He did. We didn't," Richard said.
Derrick didn't receive any college scholarships and began his college career at Division II University of Colorado Colorado Springs. But strong play and a growth spurt to 6-foot-4 helped help transfer to Division I Colorado, where he earned All-Pac 12 honors as a senior.
White still had more to prove in the NBA, starting out in a reserve role for the Spurs. But he steadily improved his game on both ends, and after struggling immediately following his trade to Boston last season, White has developed into a rock-solid two-way guard for the Celtics.
While Richard may not have always believed his son would be an NBA star, he's not surprised by Derrick's growth.
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"All through his development, he's always not been thought of as much," Richard said. "So, he's always proven people wrong. That's what he does."
Now that Derrick is thriving in Boston, there's no greater joy for Richard -- who grew up in Boston as a Celtics fan -- than watching his son star for the C's.
"It's been really great watching him, because he's playing the game that he loves at the highest level, and he's having some success at it," Richard said.
"... We're hoping that he keeps doing what he's doing and he can bring a championship to Boston."
