Boston Celtics
White was one of two players in the league with 80 or more blocks and steals each in 2025-26.
Derrick White has earned his first-career Defensive First Team nod. Erin Clark/Globe Staff
The Boston Celtics’ 2025-26 season ended abruptly in disappointing fashion with a first-round exit at the hands of the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this month.
But the Celtics’ regular season was something special. They finished second in the Eastern Conference with a 56-26 record, largely without Jayson Tatum, after many predicted them to have a bridge year.
Guard Derrick White certainly aided in Boston’s regular-season success. He had himself a year to remember on the defensive end of the court, which earned him his first-career NBA All-Defensive First Team nod with 58 votes, the NBA announced Friday.
White, who stands at 6-foot-4, recorded a career-high 98 blocks and 88 steals. He was the fourth Celtic in franchise history to record those numbers and the first to record 75-plus blocks and 75-plus steals since Kevin Garnett.
The 31-year-old led all guards with 552 contested shots and 1.3 blocks per game. He notched 37 games out of 77 total with at least one steal and one block, which also led all guards.
Boston’s defense was 7.4 points per 100 possessions better with White on the floor, which nicely encapsulates the player’s impact on the team since being traded to Boston in 2022.
White is just the 11th Celtic to be named to an All-Defensive First Team. He was named to the All-Defensive Second Team in 2022-23 and 2023-24.
White had a mixed bag offensively all season, but he recorded career bests in points per game (16.5) and assists (5.4). He also recorded 4.4 rebounds per game. He notably came up short from the field in the postseason (32.1 percent) and 27.3 percent from beyond the arc.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla lauded White’s ability and talent when asked about his shooting slump after Game 3 against Philly.
“Anybody that ever doubts D-White, they don’t really care about winning,” Mazzulla said on April 25 (via MassLive). “There’s a competitive confidence there. There’s a character piece there. He is not defined just by shot-making. He did a tremendous job. Those two rebounds were big-time rebounds, and he can impact winning in so many different ways. So I’m always going to double down on his competitive character, who he is.”
Celtics center Neemias Queta and forward/G Jaylen Brown received eight and seven All-Defensive votes, respectively.
Kaley Brown
Kaley Brown is a sports producer for Boston.com, where she covers the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox.
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