JJ Redick might be the first analyst to apologize to a player for praising them. On the latest episode of The Old Man & the Three podcast, Redick sincerely apologized to Derrick White for bringing unwanted and “extra” attention his way by constantly speaking about the Boston Celtics star’s All-Star selection.
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Over the past few weeks, Redick has been showering White with some lofty praises. After White’s incredible 18-point, 11-assist double-double on Christmas Day, Redick took to X (formerly “Twitter”), simply claiming that the Celtics guard deserved to be an All-Star.
Only a couple of days later, the 39-year-old decided to explain his take. On his podcast, the ESPN analyst shed light upon White’s impact when on the court, while further lauding his two-way abilities.
“What you’re seeing is one of the best two-way players in the NBA, impacting winning on the best team in basketball,” said Redick.
Several enthusiasts and analysts reacted to JJ Redick’s claims, resulting in Derrick White receiving a lot of attention. As a result, the former Duke Blue Devil believed that there was a need for him to apologize to the guard.
“Derrick, I just want to apologize to you I’m going to tell you why because I know that deep down you don’t like extra attention. I feel like between my top 100 rant… and then my mistake of a tweet on Christmas day saying that you were an All-Star feel like I’ve brought too much attention your way. So, I’m sorry,” Redick apologized.
Instead of being frustrated, Derrick White revealed that there was no love lost between the two. In fact, the Celtics star expressed gratitude to Redick for displaying his utmost faith.
“It’s all good. I appreciate all the love and support,” Derrick White said.
Despite putting on a terrific season, Derrick White received a lot of criticism following JJ Redick’s take. People would refute JJ’s claims by naming several other Eastern Conference guards who deserved an All-Star selection over White. Unfortunately, White didn’t utter a word to deserve these comparisons with other players. Hence, it is great to see JJ recognize his mistake and apologize.
Derrick White is having a career-best campaign
The Boston Celtics, unsurprisingly, are the best team in the NBA currently. While Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are doing an exceptional job in leading the team, Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday’s contributions are also notable. However, it is Derrick White’s performance that must be pleasing for every fan of the Celtics to see.
Entering the season, White wasn’t expected to play as huge a role as he’s fulfilling now. Recording the second-most blocks per game for the Cs, White’s two-way abilities have been beneficial. Further, the 29-year-old is putting up career-highs in points (17) and assists (5.3) along with 3.9 rebounds per game.
Clearly, the Colorado native is having a stellar performance. Even though he made it to the top 10 Eastern Conference guards list in the first fan votes result, White’s numbers might not be great enough to get him a first All-Star nod.
More than likely, the All-Star Game will feature Tyrese Haliburton, Damian Lillard, Trae Young, Tyrese Maxey, Jalen Brunson, and Donovon Mitchell as the six Eastern Conference guards. Nevertheless, by being 8th on the list, it is great to see Derrick White get the recognition that he completely deserves.
