Sickening moment Celtics’ Derrick White loses tooth… nine months after chipping another in NBA Finals win
Celtics star Derrick White once said he’d ‘lose all [his] teeth for a championship,’ which could bode well for Boston’s chances at a repeat in 2025.
The 30-year-old guard lost a tooth during Thursday’s game against the visiting 76ers when he took an inadvertent elbow to the mouth from Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre in the second quarter.
White didn’t appear to be in too much pain, but cameras did catch him reaching on the court for what appeared to be a tooth, or at least part of one. DailyMail.com has reached out to Celtics spokespeople for further information.
This is the second time in as many seasons White had his teeth rearranged on Boston’s parquet floor. The combo guard chipped a tooth while diving for a loose ball during the Celtics’ Finals-clinching Game 5 win over the Dallas Mavericks last June.
It was then that the gap-toothed White shared the aforementioned quote with Celtics fans in the wake of that championship victory.
‘I’ll get it fixed and I’m going to enjoy this one,’ White said on the post-game podium on June 17, 2024.
The 30-year-old guard appeared to lose a tooth during Thursday’s game against the visiting 76ers when he took an inadvertent forearm to the mouth from Philadelphia’s Kelly Oubre
White didn’t appear to be in too much pain, but cameras did catch him reaching on the court for what appeared to be a tooth, or at least part of one
Now he may be looking at more dental work amid another successful season with the Celtics.
White and teammate Payton Pritchard became the first Celtics teammates to both score 40 points in the same game in Wednesday’s 128-118 win over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers.
The Colorado product drained a career-high nine 3-pointers to finish with the most points he’s ever scored in a single NBA game: 41.
‘They were tremendous,’ Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. ‘The way those two played shows a lot about who they are. … We’re lucky to have them and it was a lot of fun to watch them do that.’
White later got a Gatorade shower from teammates in the Celtics’ locker room while Pritchard watched on from nearby.
‘They got me on the court when I was doing an interview,’ Pritchard told reporters. ‘I already got a bunch of water thrown on me. It was cold. We wanted to make sure we got D-White, too. He had a great night as well.’
Derrick White #9 of the Boston Celtics grins with a broken tooth after winning the 2024 Finals
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White wiggles his tooth after chipping it in the 2024 NBA Finals
Thursday’s dental injury is the latest in White’s physical transformation over his three years in Boston.
When the Celtics first acquired him in a trade with the San Antonio Spurs in 2022, White had a full set of teeth and wore his hair in an Afro.
Not only does White’s smile look dramatically different, but he now shaves his head, rendering himself completely bald.
The good news for White and his family is that he’s won an NBA title in Boston and recently signed a four-year, $118 million extension with the Celtics.
He’s rewarded Boston with another stellar season, averaging a career-high 16.7 points a game while making nearly 40 percent of his 3-point attempts.
