Alec Jacoby "Coby" White (born February 16, 2000) is an American professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

player for the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January ...

of the

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United S ...

(NBA). He played

college basketball In United States colleges, top-tier basketball is governed by collegiate athletic bodies including National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the United States Collegiate Athleti ...

for the North Carolina Tar Heels. White was a top high school player in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

, finishing his career as the top prep scorer in state history. After being selected by the Bulls in the first round of the 2019 NBA draft with the seventh overall pick, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2020.

High school career

White, a 6'4"

combo guard A combo guard is a basketball player who combines the attributes of a point guard (1) and shooting guard (2), but does not necessarily fit the standard description of either position. In men's basketball, such guards are usually within the 6' 3" ...

, played high school basketball at the Greenfield School in Wilson, North Carolina. He scored 3,573 points over his four-year career, becoming the all-time leading scorer in North Carolina high school basketball history, a record previously held by

JamesOn Curry JamesOn Curry (born January 7, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player. He played for Oklahoma State University from 2004 to 2007, and after forgoing his senior season, left for the 2007 NBA draft. He was selected in the secon ...

. At the close of his senior season, White was named

North Carolina Mr. Basketball The North Carolina Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top boys’ high school senior basketball player in the state of North Carolina. The award is presented annually by the ''Charlotte Observer''.http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2009/04/12/659650/ ...

as the state's top high school player. White was also awarded the 2018 ''USA Today's'' North Carolina Player of the Year. He was named to the 2018 McDonald's All-American Game alongside fellow UNC signee

Nassir Little Nassir Shamai Little (born February 11, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Little finished his high school career as one of the top-ranked players in hi ...

. White also was nominated to the

MaxPreps MaxPreps is an American website that specializes in coverage of American high school sports. The site is owned by Paramount Global and is a division of CBS Sports. Founded on August 1, 2002, the company has covered up to 29 sports, including b ...

All-America first team. During the summer after graduating, White was named to the United States U18 National team to compete in the 2018 FIBA Under-18 Americas Championship in Canada. White helped lead the team to a gold medal as the team's top scorer, earning all-tournament honors.

College career

White signed a

National Letter of Intent National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

to play for

on November 8, 2017. White made his debut in a game against Wofford on November 6, 2018, starting at point guard, and recording eight points and three assists in North Carolina's 78–67 win over Wofford. On February 26, 2019, when his team was playing against Syracuse, White scored a career-high 34 points while leading the Tar Heels to a 93–85 victory. On March 5, White passed Michael Jordan in North Carolina's all-time freshman scoring list with 469 in North Carolina's 79–66 win over Boston College. White helped lead the team in the 2019 NCAA tournament, where they were eventually defeated by Auburn 97–80 in the Sweet 16 round of the tournament. White also broke a North Carolina basketball freshman record of three point shooting, hitting 82 during his college season. On April 3, 2019, White declared for the 2019 NBA draft after one season at North Carolina, where he earned All-ACC 2nd Team honors.

Professional career

Chicago Bulls (2019–present)

On June 20, 2019, the

drafted Coby White with the seventh overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. White is the first player from North Carolina to be drafted in the first round by the Bulls since Michael Jordan in 1984. On July 1, 2019, White signed with the Bulls. White participated in the 2019 NBA Summer League with fellow 2019 draftee

Daniel Gafford Daniel Gafford (born October 1, 1998) is an American professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was drafted in the second ro ...

, where he averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game. On October 23, 2019, White made his debut in the NBA, coming off the bench in a 126–125 loss to the Charlotte Hornets with 17 points, three rebounds and seven assists. This game made him the first player born in the 2000s to play in the NBA. On November 12, 2019, White hit seven 3-pointers in the fourth quarter against the New York Knicks, setting a Bulls franchise record for most 3-pointers made in a single quarter, and finished with 27 points in the 120–102 victory. On February 22, 2020, White scored a then career-high 33 points in a 112–104 loss to the Phoenix Suns. White would match that career high the next day, leading the Bulls to a 126–117 win over the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. White became the first rookie in NBA history with consecutive 30-point games off the bench. On February 25, White continued the streak and exceeded his career-high, scoring 35 points in a 124–122 loss to the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. On September 15, 2020, White was named 2019–20 NBA All-Rookie Second Team by the NBA. On February 10, 2021, White finished with 30 points, eight 3-pointers, and 7 assists in a 129–116 win over the New Orleans Pelicans, setting a Bulls franchise record with teammate

Zach LaVine Zachary Thomas LaVine ( ; born March 10, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected in the first round of the 2014 NBA draft with the 13th overall pick ...

when they each made 8 shots from behind the arc. On June 10, 2021, White underwent left shoulder surgery and was ruled out for at least four months. On September 22, the Bulls exercised their fourth-year option on White, keeping him under team control through the 2022–23 season.

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

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Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 65 , , 1 , , 25.8 , , .394 , , .354 , , .791 , , 3.5 , , 2.7 , , .8 , , .1 , , 13.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 69 , , 54 , , 31.2 , , .416 , , .359 , , .901 , , 4.1 , , 4.8 , , .6 , , .2 , , 15.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 61 , , 17 , , 27.5 , , .433 , , .385 , , .857 , , 3.0 , , 2.9 , , .5 , , .2 , , 12.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 195 , , 72 , , 28.2 , , .413 , , .365 , , .851 , , 3.6 , , 3.5 , , .6 , , .2 , , 13.7

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2022 , style="text-align:left;",

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 5 , , 0 , , 19.6 , , .333 , , .276 , , .800 , , 3.4 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , .0 , , 8.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 5 , , 0 , , 19.6 , , .333 , , .276 , , .800 , , 3.4 , , 1.8 , , .2 , , .0 , , 8.4

College

, - , style="text-align:left;", 2018–19 , style="text-align:left;",

, 35 , , 35 , , 28.5 , , .423 , , .353 , , .800 , , 3.5 , , 4.1 , , 1.1 , , .3 , , 16.1

Personal life

White's father, Donald, previously played college basketball at North Carolina Central before becoming a factory worker until his death on August 15, 2017, to liver cancer. His mother is a claims manager for an insurance company. He also has a sister an older brother, Will, who played basketball and is currently an assistant coach for

Mars Hill University Mars Hill University is a private Christian university in Mars Hill, North Carolina. The university offers 35 undergraduate majors and includes a school of nursing and graduate schools in education, criminal justice, and management. From 1859 to ...

. He has a personal connection with NBA player

Chris Paul Christopher Emmanuel Paul (born May 6, 1985), nicknamed "CP3" and “The Point God”, is an American professional basketball player who plays for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Paul is widely regarded as one o ...

, as he played for Paul's

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

(AAU) program, Team CP3.

References

External links

North Carolina Tar Heels bioUSA Basketball bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Coby 2000 births Living people American men's basketball players Basketball players from North Carolina Chicago Bulls draft picks Chicago Bulls players McDonald's High School All-Americans North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball players People from Goldsboro, North Carolina Point guards Shooting guards