Champion Jack's Heartfelt Thanks

Tuesday, June 13, 2023

Just two seasons ago Jack White was staring down the barrel of one of the most difficult injury rehabilitations in sport.

Just two seasons ago Jack White was staring down the barrel of one of the most difficult injury rehabilitations in sport. On Tuesday, he was crowned an NBA champion.

White’s two-year stint at Melbourne United has been sandwiched between a collegiate career at Duke University – where he captained a side containing the likes of Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish, and his NBA title winning season with Duke.

Those two years in the NBL were a rollercoaster for the 25-year-old. In season one he was part of Melbourne’s most recent championship winning side, but that ruptured Achilles saw him watch the finals action from the sidelines.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Jack White returned from a ruptured Achilles for Melbourne United in December 2021. 18 months later he’s the seventh Australian to become an NBA champion. <br><br>“I remember thinking, am I ever going to be the same again?” <a href="https://t.co/Bz24i1rLw9">pic.twitter.com/Bz24i1rLw9</a></p>— Kane Pitman (@KanePitman) <a href="https://twitter.com/KanePitman/status/1668714235847938048?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Upon his return Melbourne entered the post-season as favourites to win the championship once again, but he starred in a difficult semi-finals series loss to Tasmania.

White has praised the support network around him during his stint with United for helping elevate him to where he is today.

“I remember I broke my finger, then second game back I ruptured my Achilles. I remember thinking ‘am I ever going to be the same again?’,” White told ESPN in the aftermath of Denver’s title win.

“That thought in itself was something I’d never really had to deal with before.

“The people I had around me to support, everyone at Melbourne United, my family, my friends – I wouldn’t be here without any of them.

“I’ve had great people in my corner the whole time. Not only recovering from my Achilles, but post that.

“I’m so fortunate with everything that’s happened to me, and fortunate enough to end up in an organisation as good as this one.

“It’s just been an unbelievable experience, an unbelievable year, and I couldn’t imagine it based on everything that happened a couple of years ago.”