The Celts
“It’s pretty hectic. I’m just trying to enjoy it, embrace it all.”
Celtics’ Derrick White walks the course during the first round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club. Christian Petersen/Getty Images
As he headed to the first hole of the BMW Championship on Thursday in Denver, Celtics guard Derrick White wasn’t empty-handed.
He held the Larry O’Brien championship trophy with him as he supported his childhood basketball rival, Wyndham Clark.
White, a Colorado native returning to his home state, received cheers and salutes from the home crowd. He said he didn’t know the trophy would be there. As he walked in, he saw it on the ground and picked it up.
A reporter asked White what the last few months have been like, and White made it clear he doesn’t take these back-to-back triumphs for granted.
“It’s pretty hectic,” White said. “I’m just trying to enjoy it, embrace it all.”
His current success is particularly gratifying given his winding path – a path Clark has seen from the beginning.
White said he and Clark met playing basketball in elementary school. Both played point guard and had skills. They remained close over the years, reconnected at the Olympics and then reunited Thursday.
“A great rivalry on the field, and now just a mutual respect,” White said.
White said he had only played golf once and had “a lot of work to do, to say the least.” He asked his wife, Hannah Schneider, what the chances were that he would hit the water on a given shot, and she estimated it was about 87 percent, give or take.
White said Stephen Curry is probably the best golfer in the NBA and has shown some interest in improving his game.
“I didn’t know putting was that hard,” White said. “I’m pretty good at putt-putting, but it’s not the same.”
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