They are Derrick White's version of bumps and bruises. Demolished teeth. With his first NBA championship now in the bag. the Boston Celtics first since 2008, the former San Antonio Spurs guard has been able to turn his attention to his chipped tooth by getting a temporary one installed as the city and franchise continue the celebration following triumph in the NBA Finals.
The seven-year veteran lost part of one of his front teeth when he dove for the ball in the second quarter of Boston's title-clinching Game 5 106-88 victory.
“Going for the ball, [Dereck] Lively landed on me and I knew right away. I've chipped it in the past and so it's not new. This tooth's loose, the other two teeth are wiggling. They were trying stuff in the locker room, I'm like, ‘I don't care, just play,'” White said after scoring 14 points and grabbing 8 rebounds Monday night.
Derrick White's history with chipped teeth
While most folks may go years or decades without worrying about chipped teeth, it had been just a little more than three years since White had last suffered such damage. March 27, 2021, to be exact. Then in his fourth season with the Spurs, White lost part of a tooth when then-teammate Jakob Poeltl's forearm knocked it vs. the Chicago Bulls.
“Another day, another chipped tooth,” White said that night. “It’s like the fifth or sixth time I’ve done it in my life.”
The same incisor that was affected then was the same one White had chipped just seven months earlier in an August victory vs. the Memphis Grizzlies in the “Bubble” after the NBA shifted to Orlando following the league's halting of play because of COVID.
From tough days with the Spurs to a championship
White arrived in San Antonio just as their relatively recent struggles started. Western Conference finalists a month before they drafted the Colorado Buffalo with the second to last pick of that draft's first round, the Spurs lost in the first round of the playoffs in each of White's first two seasons before failing to qualify for the first Play-in in 202o.
By the time the Spurs traded White in February of 2022 as part of a series of moves that came with an eye on setting themselves up for the eventual possibility of Victor Wembanyama, they were headed for a second straight loss in the Play-In. The now 29-year-old guard was in the midst of averaging 14.4 points per game the year he was dealt. He had averaged a still-career high 15.4 PPG the regular season before.
Nearly two and half years later, White has enjoyed two trips to the NBA Finals. He just contributed to the Celtics' NBA best 18th championship by scoring a career playoff-high 16.7 PPG in the team's 19 postseason contests, trailing only the team's two stars, Jayson Tatum and Finals MVP Jaylon Brown in that category. It marks as well-rounded a skill set as you'll see given that defense and gritty play are White's calling cards.
Tons has changed for White over the last several years. Except for his propensity to chip teeth.
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