Sports fans are superstitious because we like to believe that we can help control the outcome of the game, even though we’ll never be on the field or on the court. That’s why we wear rally caps or sit in the same spot on the couch or don’t invite our friend over to watch the game after he jinxed our team that one time. You’d think there would be no need for pro athletes to be superstitious, because they’re actually playing and influencing the game with their actions and ability. Wrong!
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Even Michael Jordan used to wear his UNC shorts underneath his Chicago Bulls shorts because he thought they brought him luck. If the greatest basketball player of all-time is superstitious, that opens it up for everyone else, too.
Celtics star Derrick White is one current player who has a superstition, and it seems to work for him. He explained why on the latest episode of White Noise.
“I do like wearing the scarf,” White said, referring to his practice of wearing his jersey around his neck during practice. “How the scarf started is 2023, I didn’t know if I was starting or if I was off the bench. It could have changed game to game. So I didn’t want to put my jersey on green or put it white and have to switch it, so I started wearing it around my neck like a cape.”
Doing that didn’t really work for White since it got in the way of his shooting stroke, so then he tied it around and made it more of a scarf. “I’ve done it ever since,” he laughed. “I played well that year, and I’ve done it ever since.”
White’s superstition has been working, both individually and from a team standpoint. The Celtics won the title in 2024 thanks in large part to his contributions and the past two years have been the best seasons of his career as he’s beaten his career average in points, rebounds and assists while shooting just under 39% from 3-point range.
Still, there’s at least one person who was on the Celtics coaching staff who wasn’t a fan of White’s superstition. “I’ll play up and down with it on,” White explained. “Jeff Van Gundy was like, ‘Bro, you’re scaring me. I think you’re gonna choke out there, stop doing that.” If the players are going all-out, White did say that he wears it normally then.
White is going to be asked to assume an even larger role this upcoming season due to the absence of Jayson Tatum. The First Team All-NBA forward is expected to miss most of the season as he recovers from the torn Achilles he suffered in the playoffs, which will thrust White into the spotlight as he attempts to lead the team next to Jaylen Brown.
There won’t be any need to wonder if he’s starting or coming off the bench, but that probably won’t change White’s superstitious practice fashion statement.
