Derrick White made an indelible impression with the Colorado men’s basketball team during his lone season on the floor for the Buffaloes.
Nearly a decade into his NBA career, White hopes his influence, as well as his checkbook, will continue to make a difference at CU.
The Colorado native, who just completed his ninth NBA season, has been tabbed as the first president of basketball strategy for coach Tad Boyle’s program, and he is also donating $2 million to the team that helped launch him into the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft.
White will be formally introduced to his new role at a press conference at CU on Wednesday morning.
In an era of college basketball marked by unlimited transfers for players trying to optimize their financial windfall, White’s addition to the Buffs’ braintrust follows a growing trend. Legendary Golden State sharpshooter Steph Curry is an assistant general manager for his alma mater, Davidson. Trae Young, who this week reportedly with the Washington Wizards, serves in a similar role at Oklahoma.
While White’s specific duties have not yet been outlined, his return to CU continues one of the greatest in-state basketball careers in Colorado history.
An undersized and overlooked recruit out of Legend High School in Parker, White parlayed a three-year All-American career at Division II UCCS, as well as a major growth spurt, into an opportunity with the Buffs.
Playing when transfers had to sit through mandatory redshirt seasons, White was forced to watch from the sideline during the Buffs’ NCAA Tournament season of 2015-16 before emerging the following year as one of the top prospects in the Pac-12.
Although it was a disappointing season for a Buffs team that expected to return to the NCAA Tournament, that shortfall was no fault of White’s, who made the most of his one season on the floor by averaging 18.1 points, 4.4 assists and 4.1 rebounds. White shot .507 overall and .396 from 3-point range, still the 12th-best season 3-point mark in team history, while earning first team All-Pac-12 honors. White’s 148 assists that season is tied with Barrington Hargress’ total from this past season for 13th in team history.
Drafted 29th overall by San Antonio in 2017, White played four-plus seasons with the Spurs before getting traded to Boston, where he won an NBA title in 2024. A few weeks later, White signed a four-year, $125.9 million extension with the Celtics, and he was a first-team NBA All-Defensive team honoree this past season after earning second team honors in 2023 and 2024.
