No place like home for McDowell-White

At just 26 years old, Will McDowell-White still has a long career ahead of him, but the star guard knows one thing for sure – a return to his hometown and a stint with the Brisbane Bullets would be the ultimate fairytale finish. 

The former New Zealand Breaker is currently playing with Alba Berlin in the first tier of German basketball, but one day harbours ambitions of a dream homecoming.

“You know, I'd definitely like to end my career in Brisbane and just play where I grew up watching Derek Rucker and Sam Mackinnon and all these guys going to the bloody (Brisbane) Convention Centre every second week to watch the Bullets,” McDowell-White told basketball.com.au. 

“That's probably where I'll end up living the rest of my life.”

McDowell-White is loving his time in Europe in the “prime of his career”, but it didn’t come without some incredibly tough decisions along the way. 

Four NBL clubs were chasing his signature at the end of the NBL24 season, basketball.com.au’s Brayden Heslehurst reports, including South East Melbourne, Adelaide, Tasmania, and the Bullets. 

But after four seasons in New Zealand, McDowell-White received a phone call that changed the trajectory of his career, at least for now

“If I don’t go to Europe now, I'll probably be too old for the next chance I get to go,” he reflected. 

McDowell-White averaged 6.5 points along with 2.8 assists and 1.9 rebounds in the EuroLeague, including 13 points in just 15 minutes against defending champions Panathinaikos. 

Read more on basketball.com.au >> McDowell-White: 'I want to finish my career with the Bullets'