Boston Celtics' Derrick White plays against the Brooklyn Nets during first half of an NBA basketball ... More game Tuesday, March 18, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved You won’t find many professional athletes that embody the word ‘humility’ to a closer degree than Derrick White. Although NBA players have supreme confidence in their abilities, even he didn’t picture himself breaking franchise records. Certainly not in Boston, where legends dominate the leaderboards. After he broke the Boston Celtics’ all-time record for most three-pointers in a single season, he quickly pointed out the obvious. There was nobody, including himself, that expected him to become this level of a shooter. “Just looking back on my career, I never thought I’d be in this position," White said. "So I’m just thankful for the coaching staff and the guys on this team. I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it without them." But why would such a highly-coveted, two-way player say that about his own trajectory? “I mean, did you watch me earlier in my career? It’s pretty self-explanatory," he laughed. "I didn’t even think I would shoot this many threes.” White, of course, is referring to his days with the San Antonio Spurs. He started his NBA journey in 2017 after being drafted late in the first round by a team with championship aspirations. San Antonio had just reached the Conference Finals and were trying to improve on the margins. They selected White, a pesky guard out of Colorado that displayed execellent shooting in college, but was more of a defensive-minded weapon in the eyes of Gregg Popovich and the Spurs’ staff. MORE FOR YOU NYT Mini Today: Hints, Clues And Answers For Tuesday, April 1 iOS 18.4—Update Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users Google’s Gmail Upgrade—Good And Bad News For 3 Billion Users When the departure of Kawhi Leonard put the franchise through a detour, San Antonio eventually decided to trade White for two first-round draft picks and salary filler at the 2022 trade deadline. For the Celtics, a team determined to break through the Eastern Conference after a few disappointing playoff runs, this was viewed as a no-brainer. Brad Stevens had recently taken over as President of Basketball Operations and pulled out all the stops to give Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown enough ammunition to get over the hump. It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, however. There’s a reason White mentioned the journey it required to reach this level. During his first few playoff series with the Celtics, White struggled from downtown. He shot just 16-of-58 from beyond the arc in the 2022 East playoffs, a lowly 27.6%. Sure, the Celtics still made the NBA Finals despite his inefficiency, but it set the stage for the biggest wake-up call of White’s career. San Francisco - June 5: Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) makes an open three point basket ... More against the Golden State Warriors during second quarter action. The Boston Celtics visit the Golden State Warriors for Game 2 of the NBA Finals at the Chase Center in San Francisco, CA on June 5, 2022. (Photo by Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) Boston Globe via Getty Images He knew the Golden State Warriors would try to play mind games. After all, they were three-time champions and employed some of the smartest defensive talent of this generation. White recalls leaving the Finals in heartbreaking fashion, losing to the Warriors in six games and feeling a strong sense of guilt because he didn’t take advantage of how Golden State defended him in the halfcourt. Because of White’s shooting splits in the first three rounds, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr devised a gameplan to ignore Boston’s weakest offensive links. One of those, inevitably, became White. He hasn’t forgotten it, either. “After the Finals, I feel like that was the biggest summer of my life," White said. “Obviously, what happened [against Golden State], and how I was being guarded on that stage. It was one of my lowest points.” There has always been a mutual respect between the Warriors and Celtics, dating back to 2018 when Golden State was openly stating Boston was the best team in the Eastern Conference, perhaps taking a jab at LeBron James’ Cavaliers in the process. Because of that respect, White felt comfortable sharing with Green how much that 2022 series shaped the trajectory of his career. “I even told Draymond after the Olympics, he kind of changed my life,” White added. "Because they weren’t guarding me. So I had to go into that summer, me and my trainer Marcus Mason just focused on being consistent. From that point on, I’ve just been able to get better and better.” Here’s the crazy part: White didn’t necessarily have a poor shooting performance in the Finals. It was, statistically, his best round in 2022. He shot 10-of-25 from deep, exactly 40%, giving Boston a respectable threat when Tatum and Brown were doubled. At the same time, the problem was the number of attempts. Simply put, 25 threes across six games – especially going against the Warriors – was not going to cut it. Plus, to White’s point, 19 of those 25 were deemed “wide-open” with at least six feet of space. They ignored him, and it rattled his confidence. Boston is lucky that was only temporary. Over the last three seasons, he’s increased his three-point attempt rate to such a degree that it’s made Boston one of the deadliest offenses we’ve ever seen. During the first five years of his career, 41.8% of his looks came from three-point range. Since the 2022 Finals, however, it has ballooned to 61.4% with this year being one of the league’s highest at 71.9%. You can’t help but think about the irony when looking back at the Golden State matchup. During that series, there were 20,000 rabid fans inside TD Garden screaming expletives at Green. Those chants became the highlight of the Warriors’ title celebration after they clinched in Game 6. Now, Boston should be thanking Green for fueling the motivation one of their role players needed. That defensive gameplan sparked an evolution for White, who is now in the early stages of a four-year, $118 million contract extension and beloved in Boston for helping deliver a championship. He’s worth every penny of it, too. The numbers speak for themselves. Prior to joining the Celtics in February 2022, White had connected on 300 total 3-pointers across his 237 games with the Spurs. While he shot a respectable percentage for someone that was still developing, it was only a fraction of the damage he was capable of. In the 252 games he’s played in Boston, he’s already drilled 626 threes – more than double his total with the Spurs. For him, part of that formula is head coach Joe Mazzulla empowering all of his players to let it fly, even if they aren’t wide-open. The other factor is the constant work he’s done with his personal trainer, diversifying his game and not being boxed in as only a catch-and-shoot player. For instance, over 200 of his attempts this year have come off the dribble, shattering his personal career-high of 145 last season. Interestingly, the race for Boston’s single-season 3-pointer title isn’t over yet. It’s too early to call it. White finds himself in a heated battle with two of his current teammates, Tatum and Payton Pritchard. If White plays the seven remaining games on the Celtics’ schedule, he’s on pace to drill 272 threes in 78 total games. Tatum, meanwhile, is on pace to finish with 265 threes in 75 games. Then, there’s Pritchard, who continues to do historical damage off the bench. Pritchard has started just one game this season, but that doesn’t prevent him from launching at an elite rate. He’s taking 10.1 threes per 36 minutes, which elevates him up the ladder on the Celtics’ all-time list (for a single season). With just a few more minutes each game, this record would belong to Pritchard: Most 3-Pointers Made in a Single Season Celtics History White joked after Monday’s win over the Grizzlies that he, Tatum, and Pritchard all discussed this friendly competition on the plane ride to Memphis. So, yes, every member of the trio is aware of what’s at stake. White knows there’s still work to do. Deep down, he does want the record. Don’t let him fool you. It symbolizes all of the hard work he’s dedicated to his craft since landing in Boston, and what he’s overcome after being labeled as a ‘defense-first’ player that opponents would dare to shoot. It will be up to Tatum or Pritchard to knock him off the throne. “I hope they forget about it, so they don’t go out and try to break it," he said. Even the most selfless players know when to let the humility fade for a split second. In Boston, striking that balance is always necessary. Follow me on Twitter. Editorial StandardsForbes Accolades