Derrick White Admits Manu Ginobili Influenced His NBA Career

White has been in the NBA since the 2017-18 season, which was his rookie year with the San Antonio Spurs. He did not have many minutes under Gregg Popovich as a rookie, which was to be expected from a late first-round pick.

The Spurs were focused on developing White, especially with veteran guard Manu Ginobili playing his final season during that 2017-18 campaign. White was seen as one of the players who could replace Ginobili, which were big shoes to fill. White was not confident in himself back then, but Ginobili put him back on track.

White on Ginobili's Underrated Impact on Him

On the Spurs, White was a young player with potential. It was clear that he had untapped promise, and the Spurs were willing to give him the opportunities he needed. However, White did not have the confidence to deliver on his potential.

Thankfully for White, Ginobili was there to serve as his mentor. Derrick might not have played much in his first year, but he learned plenty of lessons from Ginobili, coach Popovich, and the rest of the team.

"I remember the first time I was playing. I was playing against the Warriors. Tony (Parker) was out, Dejounte (Murray) was out, and Patty (Mills) was in foul trouble. We had no other point guard. I was like the fifth string," White recalled on his White Noise Podcast.

"It was the end of the quarter. I was kind of standing there, and I looked at Manu, like, ‘You want the ball? End of the quarter? He was just like, ‘You go. This is on you.'"

A Confidence Boost From A Legendary Teammate

Ginobili is not only well-regarded in the Spurs community because he is seen as a legend around the league. White knew that, so playing alongside him was a big part of his development with the Spurs.

During their time together, Ginobili trusted White to run plays exactly like he did. He was right to do so because White would eventually become one of the Spurs' most reliable players. White was then eventually traded to the Celtics, where he would become one of the league's best role players.

Ginobili and the Spurs saw the vision when they drafted White in 2017. Unfortunately, they could not maximize him during his time in San Antonio, considering he is playing his best basketball in Boston.

White is thankful for Ginobili because he would not have had the confidence to keep improving if it weren't for the legendary sixth man.