Jack White's Incredible Journey

Thursday, July 21, 2022

15 months ago, Jack White hobbled off John Cain Arena. He punched the ground, as the stunned crowd sat silent.

Fifteen months ago, Jack White hobbled off John Cain Arena. He punched the ground, as the stunned crowd sat silent.

“That does not look good, does it?,” Lanard Copeland shuddered from the commentary box.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBL21?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBL21</a> Injury Update ?<br><br>Jack White has left the floor with a lower leg injury, more information will be provided as soon as it comes to hand.<br><br>Our thoughts are with you, <a href="https://twitter.com/5jackwhite?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@5jackwhite</a> ? <a href="https://t.co/JvNsnRfgPy">pic.twitter.com/JvNsnRfgPy</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1377893585081626624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

It wasn’t good; a serious achilles injury sidelined the then 23-year-old, just as he was emerging as one of the NBL’s most exciting prospects.

It took a meticulous, painstaking eight months for the Melbourne United star to make his return.

Back then, just returning to the court at all was somewhat of a scary thought.

“I’m trying not to think about it all that much or else I’ll probably start being a bit of a nervous wreck,” White told The Herald Sun ahead of his NBL comeback on December 19, 2021.

The old saying “what a difference 12 months can make” fits seamlessly with White’s amazing story of resilience, overcoming adversity, and ultimately living his dream.

Those eight months on the sidelines would have seemed like an eternity, the last eight months … well, not so much.

White played 26 games for Melbourne in a breakout season, but that was just the beginning of another whirlwind life experience.

Next, he made his long-awaited debut for the Australian Boomers, claiming a double-double against China with 16 points and 14 boards.

Hours later, White was boarding a flight to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Eight points and 15 rebounds for the Denver Nuggets had scouts circling, but there was still a nervous wait. A two-way contract was on the table, but there were no guarantees.

“I know there’s going to be opportunities here if I do my thing and play my game,” White said on July 14.

Four days later, a moment the Australian will never forget.

Minutes before White’s final game in Vegas, fans and experts on social media started talking.

“I literally just found out (about the contract) right before the game, because it was either going to be finding out from my agent or finding out on Twitter,” White revealed.

As is so often the case in the NBA, reporters break the news, and the teams follow.

Thankfully, White was able to reach out to those who mattered most, before ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski’s tweet landed.

“I had to scramble and tell my parents to make sure they heard it from me,” White told the Denver Nuggets’ website.

“(There were) a few tears … they were just super proud. It’s been a long journey to get to this point and it still doesn’t feel real.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Denver Nuggets are signing Australian F Jack White to a two-way contract, sources tell ESPN. White had a strong Summer League performance for Denver.</p>— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1548807886846959618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

From injuring his achilles and his career at its lowest ebb, to an incredible NBL return, it took 261 days.

Then 211 days later, Jack White was officially on an NBA roster.

“It’s just such a surreal thing,” he said.

“I feel like I’ve had such a crazy six months, since making my return from my achilles injury, playing for my national team and coming straight into this … it’s been a big few weeks, but I just couldn’t be happier with how this panned out.”

Now, White has the world at his feet.

“The job’s not done,” he added.

“Just making it (to the NBA) and getting a two-way isn’t the end of the road. There’s still a lot of things I want to improve on.

“There’s still a long way I can go. I’m just going to keep attacking it day-by-day and making the most of the opportunity.”

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">A year and a half ago, <a href="https://twitter.com/MelbUnited?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MelbUnited</a>'s Jack White suffered a serious injury setback, today, he officially signed an NBA contract with the <a href="https://twitter.com/nuggets?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@nuggets</a>.<br><br>It's an incredible story and one of which we're extremely proud to have been a part of...<br><br>Go get 'em, <a href="https://twitter.com/5jackwhite?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@5jackwhite</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBLxNBA?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBLxNBA</a> <a href="https://t.co/VZ2i7FPOqk">pic.twitter.com/VZ2i7FPOqk</a></p>— The NBL (@NBL) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBL/status/1549722062142332929?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 20, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>