Title: “From Spurs to Shamrocks: Derrick White and the Message He’ll Never Forget”
When Derrick White got the call in February 2022 that he was being traded from the San Antonio Spurs to the Boston Celtics, it didn’t come with a polite press release or carefully curated farewell. It came with one gruff, unforgettable, very Gregg Popovich message.
“Don’t f* this up, Derrick,”** Pop growled over the phone.
That was it. No sugarcoating. No hand-holding. Just Pop being Pop — equal parts tough love, dry wit, and prophetic wisdom. Derrick White, then 27, hung up the phone with a half-smile and a thousand emotions crashing inside him. He had spent his entire NBA career in San Antonio, molded under the Popovich system — defense, discipline, and brutal honesty.
The trade to Boston blindsided him. He’d just finished practice, still in his warmups, when the news broke. One minute he was a Spur, the next he was heading to the Eastern Conference powerhouse with championship aspirations. The Celtics had gone all-in, sending Josh Richardson, Romeo Langford, and a 2022 first-round pick to get him. Boston didn’t just want White — they needed him.
But Pop’s NSFW send-off lingered in his head. Not as a jab, but as a challenge.
“People always ask me what Pop said,” White later recalled in a postgame interview after dropping 28 points and 5 blocks in the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. “That was it. No congratulations, no pep talk. Just, ‘Don’t f*** this up.’ And honestly? That was all I needed.”
What followed was the transformation of Derrick White from a solid two-way role player to one of the Celtics’ most critical pieces. In Boston, his defensive IQ blossomed. His three-point shot sharpened. His confidence swelled under the leadership of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. But Pop’s words? They stayed.
In the 2024-25 season, White was the Celtics’ heartbeat on both ends. He averaged 16.2 points, 5.1 assists, and a career-high 1.4 blocks — as a guard. He made the NBA All-Defensive First Team, earned league-wide respect, and drilled clutch shots that flipped games. He became the guy who’d dive for a loose ball in Game 7, take a charge from Giannis, or hit a dagger three in transition.
Reporters brought up Popovich’s infamous farewell again during the 2025 playoffs. White finally opened up more.
“Pop doesn’t hand out compliments. That was a compliment. He knew where I was going. He knew what Boston expected. He knew I was ready — but he wanted to remind me that the next step wasn’t given. It had to be earned.”
When the Celtics lifted the Larry O’Brien Trophy in June 2025, White held back tears. Not just because of the journey — but because of the pressure. The burden. The standard. Pop’s words echoed again.
He didn’t f*** it up. He made history.
