"Let's not drink too many tonight" - Derrick White shows off repaired set of teeth, looks forward to 'day drinking' during parade
During Game 5 of the NBA Finals, Derrick White suffered a chipped front tooth after taking a hard fall. Ahead of the Boston Celtics' championship parade, the veteran guard showed off his new look.
The play that caused the chipped tooth happened during the second quarter of Game 5. White dove for a loose ball seconds before Dallas Mavericks big man Dereck Lively. Lively fell on top of White, causing his face to smack against the floor. This resulted in the Celtics' guard chipping one of his front teeth.
Ahead of the championship parade, Derrick White said he spent nearly three hours in a dentist's chair getting his mouth fixed. Now good to go; he's hoping to not go too hard alcohol-wise during the festivities.
"Shoutout Sam Adams and lets not drink too many tonight," White said.
White was quickly corrected, saying that all the drinking would be done during the day. According to his teammate, Jaylen Brown, this is something the veteran guard is good at.
In just his second full season since coming over in a trade from the San Antonio Spurs, White has helped deliver the Boston Celtics a championship.
Derrick White was willing to risk it all for a championship
Since coming over to the Boston Celtics, Derrick White has proven to be a fierce competitor. This was further displayed when he was asked about the incident involving his chipped tooth.
White said he would gladly lose all his teeth if it meant his team won a championship.
"I'll lose all my teeth for a championship," White said. "I'll get it fixed and I'm going to enjoy this."
From the moment he joined the Celtics, Derrick White has been an important piece of the Celtics core. Along with his high-level defense, his game has grown on the other end, assisting Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown in scoring.
During the regular season, he posted the second-highest PPG average of his career (15.2) while shooting nearly 40% from beyond the arc.
The Celtics had the best starting lineup in the NBA the whole season and White contributed immensely to that narrative.
In the backcourt, the Celtics constituted maybe the strongest defensive tandem in the league with Jrue Holiday and White. When asked to defend players like Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic in the NBA Finals, this combination came in handy.
Following his role in their title efforts, this could be a big offseason for White. Entering the final year of his contract, the Celtics could offer him a sizable extension to keep him around long-term.