D.J. White Excited For Opportunity With The Celtics
BOSTON (CBS) - It's been nearly a week since word first broke the Boston Celtics would sign forward D.J. White, but on Thursday the news became official.
And after a week of waiting, White is pretty pumped to finally start playing with his new team.
"Very, very excited," White said from the Celtics practice facilities in Waltham. "This organization has a rich tradition, countless championships. It's an honor to be a part of this it."
The Celtics inked White to a 10-day contract after the four-year NBA vet put up some solid numbers while playing in China. White averaged 21.6 points and 9.7 rebounds in 32 games for the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association.
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He received a few offers prior to the 2012-13 campaign, but chose to head overseas in hopes of a mid-season return to the US.
"I had a couple of training camp offers, but I decided (China) was the best option for me. It allowed me to get a lot of playing time and experience," he said. "The whole Chinese league is growing and getting better every year. It was a good experience."
Now he finds himself back in the NBA, and is excited for his next opportunity.
"I thought I had a good chance but you never know until you sign on that dotted line," he said. "My whole mindset in China was just to play my best and hope for an opportunity. It worked out in my favor."
White, who averaged 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds over his 123 career games in the NBA, joins a Celtics team in need of another big body down low to crash the boards and play defense. And he knows that is exactly what's expected out of him.
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"Just defend and rebound," he said of his role with Boston. "I want to play hard and pick my spots on the offensive end, but I want to concentrate on defense and rebounding."
White will get his first chance to prove himself Friday night when the Celtics host the Golden State Warriors at the TD Garden.
