The Boston Celtics have recently said goodbye to many outstanding players, including three key members of the 2024 title winning team this offseason.
Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday and Al Horford left the Celtics this summer as the front office completely rebuilt their roster.
Derrick White, a few who stayed, explains that the departure of another player was a major loss two years ago.
He even revealed that everyone at the Celtics wanted him to stay with him as he was so important to the locker room.
Blake Griffin was a six-time All-star for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Detroit Pistons, but by the time he joined the Celtics he was just a bench option.
So he found another way to help his team besides scoring and rebounding in court. On his podcast, White shared that Griffin is “an incredible teammate.”
Griffin, who averaged just four points per game on average in the 2022/23 season, retired from professional basketball, and was disappointed by the Celtics player.
“Blake is incredible,” White said. “That year he kept us together. He can get along with everyone. He can get serious. He can joke. He can do a little bit of everything.
“This is Blake Griffin, there are a lot of All-Stars and All-NBAs, he’s done a lot in this league and he’s happy to sacrifice.
“He was on the first bus and trying to do what he needed, like he was a rookie or a young player, he didn’t have to do that and he connected everything.
“We were able to be with him for Blake. Everyone wanted him to come back. He’s an incredible teammate and an incredible player.”
Derrick White also recalled a particular interaction with Blake Griffin, who boosted his morale during the 2022/23 season.
Griffin gave him White’s confidence in his game after telling him he was far better than he noticed before joining the Celtics.
White continued: “We had so much fun and one thing I remember is that we were at dinner or something. He pulled me aside.
“If you play someone from time to time, you really don’t know. You don’t see all the games. He said, “I didn’t know. I was like, ‘Thank you for the break.’ It gave me a lot of confidence.
“If Blake believes me, I’m doing the right thing. He didn’t need to do that, but he pulled me aside and said, it was dope. Blake can’t believe it.”