Boston Celtics guard Derrick White has a new job with his old team. But he wasn\u2019t traded away by Boston in any deal related to the NBA Draft this week, contrary to recent rumors.<\/p>\n
He instead returned to Colorado, where his old college in Boulder introduced him as its first president of basketball strategy. This is a volunteer job that White, 31, will work on the side as he tries to help the Buffaloes get back to the NCAA men\u2019s basketball tournament for the first time since 2024, when they also had three NBA draft picks.<\/p>\n
Colorado athletic director Fernando Lovo called the hiring \u201ctransformational\u201d at a news conference Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt changes our trajectory,\u201d Lovo said. \u201cI really believe that.\u201d<\/p>\n
White himself said he doesn\u2019t \u201cknow too much about college athletics\u201d and its turbulent current landscape but hopes to serve as a resource for the program in several ways, including by giving $2 million to the men\u2019s basketball program.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing I want to do is learn,\u201d White said. \u201cI know that I\u2019ve learned a lot in the NBA, but this is a whole new position, whole new title, whole new everything that I don\u2019t really know that much about.\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) drives against Philadelphia 76ers guard Kelly Oubre Jr. (9) during the second quarter at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, April 30.<\/p>\n
Bill Streicher, Imagn Images<\/p>\n
White is latest to join this trend<\/p>\n
This is the latest in a recent string of college basketball programs hiring former players who currently are in the NBA. The general goal is to leverage the star power of the player to help attract recruits in the age of unlimited annual player transfers and the constant need to come up with more money to pay players. At Colorado, the football team similarly leveraged the fame of coach Deion Sanders to help generate buzz and rebuild a dormant brand after hiring him in December 2022.<\/p>\n
Colorado head men’s basketball coach Tad Boyle had a more colorful way to sum up the larger college sports environment Wednesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cCollege athletics is a little messed up right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
So he wants White to help navigate it with his background as an NBA champion and Colorado native. Boyle, Colorado\u2019s all-time winningest coach, even was moved to tears at the news conference as he enters his 17th season in Boulder.<\/p>\n
NBA players hired at their old colleges<\/p>\n
These NBA players are generally volunteering their time and sometimes giving their old colleges money, too.<\/p>\n
\u2014 Steph Curry, Davidson: The Golden State Warriors legend appears to have started this trend when he was named assistant general manager for the men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball teams at his alma mater in March 2025. He was helping set up an eight-figure fund to help support them.<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0Trae Young, Oklahoma: The current Washington Wizards star was announced in late March 2025 as the assistant general manager for men\u2019s basketball at his alma mater, Oklahoma. He also made a $1 million donation to the program.<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0Desmond Bane, TCU: On June 22, TCU announced the Orlando Magic guard and former TCU player would serve as the program\u2019s \u201cchief basketball officer\u201d to help advise the team and serve as a \u201cliaison to the NBA.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0Damian Lillard, Weber State: Last August, Weber State named the Portland Trail Blazers star as the general manager of its men\u2019s basketball program to help serve as an advisor and mentor of his former college team.<\/p>\n
\u2014\u00a0Terance Mann, Florida State: The current Brooklyn Nets guard was named as Florida State\u2019s assistant general manager in April 2025. His job is to help support \u201cstrategic roster management, optimization of talent acquisition and developing future professional basketball players,\u201d according to the school.<\/p>\n
Pros and cons of these roles<\/p>\n
Any money and publicity can help these programs break through in a crowded college basketball landscape. That\u2019s what these NBA players bring to these colleges at a minimum. It\u2019s just not clear how involved they can be in college recruiting and roster management when their day jobs as NBA players take priority for much of the year.<\/p>\n
Being a good pro basketball player also might not always translate into being a good college general manager, but it could. Some cases might seem like marketing gimmicks as a result. For the schools, there\u2019s still almost no downside to it if these players are giving their time, money and names to the effort with no compensation in return.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, I\u2019m busy,\u201d White said of his job with the Celtics. \u201cBut like if someone got a question and they want to reach out to me, I want to be a resource to the players. I want to be a resource to the coaching staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
What White will do in Colorado<\/p>\n
White is a native of Parker, Colorado, who played at Colorado for one season in 2016-2017. He went on to get drafted by the San Antonio Spurs with the 29th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. In 2024, he won an NBA championship with the Celtics and a gold medal with the U.S. men\u2019s basketball team in the Olympics.<\/p>\n
This is the kind of profile Colorado hopes to leverage after struggling to navigate the wide-open transfer era that started in 2024, just as Colorado was peaking with three NBA draft picks whom Boyle had developed as high school recruits: Cody Williams, Tristan da Silva and KJ Simpson.<\/p>\n
This past season, the Buffs finished 17-16 and lost three of their top four scorers to the transfer portal, including freshman leading scorer Isaiah Johnson, who left for Texas.<\/p>\n
Boyle said White\u2019s role would be \u201cfluid,\u201d but he would help with recruiting and as a team resource to tap into for learning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have a job title, but I\u2019m not sure we have a job description,\u201d Boyle said.<\/p>\n
A parting joke from Tad Boyle<\/p>\n
Boyle, 63, said White also could help with a transition plan for a new coach whenever Boyle departs the program.<\/p>\n
But what is the first thing he wants White to do in his new role?<\/p>\n
Boyle\u2019s answer referenced the recent legal chaos in the NCAA with players trying to extend their eligibility through the court system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing I would say is I want to get a good lawyer, a local judge and get a temporary restraining order to get an extra year of eligibility for Derrick,\u201d Boyle said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I would like to do first.\u201d<\/p>\n
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