Introduction
Derrick White (born July 2, 1994) is an American basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA. He played three years of college basketball for the Division II University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) before transferring to the Division I University of Colorado Boulder for his final season.
College career
White, a combo guard, was lightly recruited out of Legend High School in Parker, Colorado, receiving no scholarship offers from any four-year institutions. At the time of his high school graduation, which fell about two months before his 18th birthday, he was barely 6 feet tall—after growing two inches during his senior year. The only head coach at a four-year school who showed sustained interest in White was Jeff Culver, then the head coach at the Denver campus of Johnson & Wales University, a non-scholarship NAIA member better known for its culinary program. By the time White was preparing to make his college decision, Culver was hired as head coach at NCAA Division II Colorado–Colorado Springs, and offered White a room and board stipend for his freshman season. Culver was only expecting White to become a starter late in his college career. He was aware that White's father had a late growth spurt in college, and also knew that doctors had projected White to potentially reach 6'5". As it turned out, White reached that potential height by the time he enrolled at Colorado–Colorado Springs. With his newfound size and athleticism, White became a star at UCCS, starting every game of his three-year career and left as the school's career leader in points (1,912) and assists (343). In his junior season, he averaged 25.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 5.2 assists for the Mountain Lions, leading the team to the 2015 NCAA Tournament. He was named an All-American.
Following this season, White opted to transfer to Division I Colorado to test his skills in the Pac-12 Conference, one of the top college leagues in the country. After sitting out the 2015–16 season per NCAA rules, White excelled in his lone season with the Buffaloes, averaging 18.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. He was named first-team All-Pac-12 and a member of the five-man All-Defensive team.
Professional career
White was one of 60 NBA prospects invited to the 2017 NBA Draft Combine. He was one of only 15 combine invitees who had not been Rivals top-150 prospects in high school, and one of only three who did not sign with Division I programs out of high school. In addition, according to Yahoo! Sports writer Jeff Eisenberg, he was also "the only one who will use part of his first NBA contract to pay off student loans he accumulated paying for tuition at UCCS as a freshman."
The San Antonio Spurs drafted White with the 29th pick of the 2017 NBA draft. White was later included in 2017 NBA Summer League roster.
On July 6, 2017, White signed with the San Antonio Spurs.