Boomers star Jack White beats the clock to face Victor Wembanyama after surprise NBA call-up

Australian Boomers star Jack White is back in the NBA after an unexpected phone call had him racing to catch a plane for his latest opportunity in the big league.

Jack White has landed a short-term NBA deal. Picture: Kelly Defina/Getty Images

An unexpected phone call had Australian Boomers gun Jack White racing to catch a plane bound for his next NBA opportunity.

White is back in the big league after inking a 10-day deal to close out the season with the Memphis Grizzlies.

His first assignment? Freakish No.1 draft pick Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday morning, 10am AEST.

White played 26 minutes in his Grizzlies debut, splashing a pair of three-pointers on his way to 6 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in an 87-102 defeat.

Forty-eight hours earlier, the former Melbourne United star who was part of the Denver Nuggets history-making 2023 NBA title run had been preparing to take a short break from the game before ramping up his preparations for the Paris Olympics.

GRIZZLIES 87
SPURS 102

JACK WHITE TONIGHT

6 POINTS
2 REB
1 STEAL
1 BLOCK

0/2 2p (0%)
2/5 3p (40%)

26 MINS#AussieNBA#TakeCoverpic.twitter.com/S4esj7sAqn

— AussieBallersNBA (@AussieBallinUSA) April 10, 2024

But agent Sammy Wloszczowski, of Sports International Group, had other ideas.

“Sammy called me, he said ‘can you make it to the airport in like two-and-a-half hours?’,” White told Code Sports from Memphis, early Wednesday morning.

“I said ‘yep’.

“He said: ‘you’re going to Memphis’.

“I said: ‘All right, let’s do this’.”

It’s a welcome chance for White to show the athleticism, effort and IQ that helped him rise to the NBA, after he’d battled back from a devastating 2022 Achilles rupture.

And there’s a little serendipity or irony in the schedule, too, with Wemby Wednesday, Cleveland Thursday and then LA Lakers — he’s just completed the season with G League affiliate South Bay — ending with a clash against his former teammates at the Nuggets.

Jack White in action for Denver last season. Picture: Aaron Ontiveroz/Getty Images

“It’s funny, I saw the boys less than a week ago, went and saw them play the Clippers when they had that tough loss and I caught up with them all in the locker room after,” he said.

“This time round I’ll be competing against them, It’s funny how it all works out.”

The injury-hit Grizzlies were granted a last-minute hardship exception and they targeted White because he was game ready.

“I got into Memphis late last night (Tuesday AEST), but the game’s going to come around tonight and I’ll be ready to go if I’m called upon,” he said.

“I’m ready to enjoy the experience and make the most of it because it’s going to go by quickly.

“I’m super grateful for it.”

It’s a welcome footnote to a campaign that began as the No.1 pick in the G League draft, was frustratingly interrupted by freak injuries that limited him to 22 games, and ended with a typical across-the-board contribution of 9.1 points, 6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1 steal and 1 block, while shooting 35 per cent from deep.

“One of the injuries, my teammate Scottie Pippen (Jr), who I’m teammates with again in Memphis, went up for a layup and his leg takes out my leg and I sprain my MCL,” White said.

“Another one, I get hit in the funny bone, worse than I’ve ever been hit there.

“It gave me pins and needles, then it settles down, but, for a week, I can’t feel my pinky or my ring finger and that’s all the way up my arm.

“Just ridiculous, annoying, frustrating injuries I’ve had to work through.”

Also frustrating for White was watching his former United teammates fall just short in a remarkable NBL grand final series.

He’d sent messages of support throughout the club’s campaign and, while he was disappointed to see United on the wrong side, he acknowledges the spectacle’s contribution to the league’s continued rise.

“Huge congrats to Tassie, they do things the right way, they’re a great club,” White said.

“I always support my boys and the club that gave me so much.

“What a series, it was great for our sport. We talk about that series but what a year that the league’s had.”

Contracted with United through the end of next season, White is continually linked to a return to the club. That potential return has recently been attached to a likely NBA opportunity for Cleveland Cavaliers-tied Luke Travers. But there’s a world where both could potentially coexist in Melbourne.

White, himself, hasn’t ruled out a return to John Cain Arena next season.

He’s grateful for the club’s support during his Achilles rehabilitation and its willingness to extend him off the back of the injury.

There’s also a burning desire to be on the floor when United wins a championship — the rehab outed him for the 2022 championship campaign.

Jack White is not ruling out a return to Melbourne United. Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

“I’m definitely interested in going back to Melbourne, that definitely feels like my home away from home, my home in the NBL,” White said.

“They’ve supported me so much through injuries, it’s close to home for me geographically, I love the city, so there’s plenty of positives there.

“Melbourne’s not a normal club, they emphasise the right things, the culture, the family, the feeling around, it’s something that I’m a big fan of and I’ve benefited from.

“I’d just come off the Achilles, and they extended me, this is stuff that doesn’t happen.

“I definitely want to be on the court winning a championship there and not on the sidelines.

“It’s just a matter of timing, whether things match up well, whether things make sense.

“In terms of what that looks like exactly, I’m not sure.”

White says the Boomers have a desire to atone for their underwhelming effort at last year’s World Cup, where they missed the quarter-finals and that, along with the chance to achieve the lifelong dream of becoming an Olympian, has driven him.

“I’m excited to get started for this next campaign,” he said.

“It was a disappointing team result in Japan and all of us have a bitter taste in our mouth and wanted to avenge that performance.

“I’ve been thinking about that a lot. I know I have an opportunity to make this team and I feel like I have an opportunity to help us win games and get a medal.”

Originally published as Boomers star Jack White beats the clock to face Victor Wembanyama after surprise NBA call-up