Derrick White talks beer, being a Bostonian, and a promising Celtics playoff run

"When you put on that Celtic uniform, you're kind of judged on one thing."

Derrick White, Julian Edelman, Zdeno Chara, and Garrett Crochet were on hand for Samuel Adams' launch part for their new line of beers on Saturday. Josh Reynolds/AP Content Services for Sam Adams

By Conor Ryan

April 6, 2026

4 minutes to read

Derrick White hails from Colorado.

But, the 31-year-old Celtics guard is feeling more and more like a Bostonian with every season spent playing on the parquet floor over on Causeway Street.

Of course, playing a pivotal role in helping the Celtics raise a sought-after 18th championship banner up to the TD Garden rafters goes a long way toward ingratiating oneself to a sports-crazed market.

Still, it’s been White’s lunch-pail approach and willingness to sacrifice both his teeth and gaudy stat lines in the scorebook to help Boston pile on wins that has led to Boston embracing the 6-foot-4 guard as one of their own.

On the court, White is the type of “glue guy” who becomes a fan favorite in a city like Boston.

And, away from the hardwood, White is doing his part to embrace his new locale.

As part of a years-long partnership with Samuel Adams, White has dropped his R’s, banged a U-ey with a Duck Boat, and taken a trip down the infamous “Boston Cop Slide” at City Hall Plaza as an honorary Bostonian.

There are still some things that White is getting used to in his adopted home.

“It’s still bad,” White said of the traffic on the way to TD Garden on game nights.

But, as he basked in the cheers from fans at Banners on Causeway Street Saturday night, White expressed gratitude for where his basketball journey has taken him.

“The crowd does a good job, like knowing the game — might be a little different from other fan bases,” White told Boston.com on Saturday. “It might not be the person who scores. It might just be the little plays, and that’s what I try to do out there. And so I think that’s kind of how we connected, and it’s kind of grown from there.”

White was on hand Saturday to celebrate Sam Adams’ new “Our City. Our Beer.” line of libations — with the Celtics guard one of four Boston sports stars to have his own beverage brewed in his honor.

Three-time Super Bowl champion Julian Edelman (Edel-Brau Lager), former Bruins captain Zdeno Chara (Big Z Pilsner), and Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet (Crochet’s Pale Ale) were present for Saturday’s event — handing out cans behind the bar to fans and battling one another in ping-pong, Pop-A-Shot, and other arcade games.

Derrick White battled Zdeno Chara in Pop-A-Shot on Saturday at Banners. (Josh Reynolds/AP Content Services for Sam Adams)

“Mine’s been around for a little bit,” White said of his beer, the (Derrick) White Ale. “I’ve tried the other ones. Crochet’s might be my favorite one. But mine’s good, I enjoy it.”

“When Sam Adams asked me what beer I wanted, I said I wanted something gritty,” Edelman said of his lager, which paces the four brews with a 6.2 percent ABV. “I couldn’t be happier with the taste. It’s like the first time I heard The Beatles.”

Chara, who recently had his No. 33 raised above the TD Garden ice, countered Edelman’s preference.

“I’m the opposite of Jules. I asked for the least amount of alcohol — so that I can drink more,” Chara said of his pilsner, which has an ABV of 5.0.

Even if White has acknowledged on several occasions that he’s not much of a beer drinker, he’s welcomed the opportunity to collaborate with Sam Adams — especially if it allows him to connect with a fanbase that has resonated with his play since he first arrived in Boston in February 2022.

“It’s the best place to play,” White said of what makes Boston unique as a sports city. “Just the crowd, the fans. Obviously, the teams are really successful, which I think heightens everything as well. It’s great to be a part of that.”

White could further entrench himself as an icon in this city if he helps push the Celtics toward another title run this spring.

Expectations were low entering the 2025-26 NBA season for Joe Mazzulla’s club. Beyond the uncertainty regarding Jayson Tatum’s return this season from a ruptured Achilles, Boston lost several stalwarts in Kristaps Porzingis, Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, and Luke Kornet this past offseason in order to alleviate cap-related constraints.

With just four games to go in the regular season, Boston is currently sitting in second place in the Eastern Conference with a 53-25 record. With Tatum now back on the court and looking more and more like the franchise fixture he’s been for years, the Celtics are primed to be a contender once again in a wide-open conference.

“A little different from the last couple years, but the standard that we set as an organization is the same,” White said of the Celtics outperforming expectations. “Every person that we’ve put out there has done a lot of great things for us, and now we know what’s up, what’s coming up next, and it’s just gonna keep getting bigger and bigger. We’re going to need everybody.”

Jaylen Brown’s ascension as a legitimate MVP candidate and the emergence of several younger players further down the depth chart have played a key role in Boston snuffing out any shot of this season being a “bridge year.”

But, White was quick to credit Mazzulla, even as Boston’s head coach has recoiled at the thought of taking home the NBA Coach of the Year Award in the coming months.

“I think he’s the best coach in the league,” White said of Mazzulla. “I don’t know if he needs an award for that, but he’s always just kept us ready. He’s always believed in us. He’s always kind of had us ready to go. People had doubts, but he never had any.”

When asked about his favorite memory so far in Boston, White echoed a similar sentiment from Edelman and Chara — harping on the revelry that spills out on the streets when Duck Boats make their way down Boylston Street.

White is looking to relieve that memory later on this summer with a Celtics squad that has continued to prove many wrong.

“Obviously coming into the year with a lot of unknowns, a lot of questions, and obviously we’ve surpassed a lot of those expectations,” White said. “But when you put on that Celtic uniform, you’re kind of judged on one thing. We’ve got a lot more work to do, and that’s what we’re focusing on.”