How Derrick White emerged as Team USA hero in exhibition win

In their fourth warm-up game ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, Team USA escaped what would have been a historic upset against South Sudan. On a team littered with basketball icons and future Hall-of-Famers, an unexpected game-changer emerged for the Americans. 

That game-changer was a Boston Celtics point guard and a recent NBA champion: Derrick White. White signed a four-year, $125.9 million contract extension with the Celtics earlier this summer.

Team USA announced the addition of White as an injury replacement for Kawhi Leonard less than two weeks ago, and fans are already seeing why a star-studded superteam decided to bring in the two-way prowess of White.

After Team USA sputtered to a 14-point deficit by halftime, head coach Steve Kerr began the second half with his bench unit. However, he made his biggest adjustment by replacing Tyrese Haliburton with White. White had not seen the floor in the first half.

White and the reserves cut South Sudan’s lead to eight points before subbing out. The two-time All-Defensive player dropped two dimes and played suffocating perimeter defense in the third quarter, but his greatest moments came in the closing stages of the fourth. 

Derrick White closed the contest for Team USA with a game-saving play

White played the final seven minutes of the contest, and he dished out three assists in that span. Two of his assists went to Anthony Davis, and he also connected with teammate Jayson Tatum on an inbound pass for a crunch-time dunk.

In a dramatic turn of events, South Sudan ripped off eight straight points down 99-92 to go up by one with twenty seconds remaining. A LeBron James go-ahead layup gave USA the lead, but South Sudan had a chance to win it in the closing seconds. And that’s where White stepped in.

With three seconds to go, White blocked a putback dunk attempt by Wenyen Gabriel and saved Team USA from an epic defeat. White finished the 101-100 victory with five assists, three rebounds, and a game-saving block.

Tatum had nine points of his own, and Jrue Holiday scored eight points with 4-of-4 shooting on 2-point attempts. Holiday also had a team-high +15 plus-minus and made a huge defensive stop before White’s heroic block.

The NBA superstars of Team USA entered this matchup as unbelievable 43.5-point betting favorites. Needless to say, South Sudan covered their spread. South Sudan, a country that was founded just 13 years ago, is competing in men’s basketball at the Olympics for the first time ever.

White showed the world that Team USA will need his point-of-attack defense and playmaking when the Olympics officially begin on July 27. Despite the superior offensive firepower of his teammates, White should see more opportunities to make his mark as a first-time Olympian.

White made game-changing plays all season long for the Banner 18 Celtics, and he should continue that trend with Team USA at the Olympics.