Chicago Bulls star Coby White has come a long way from his humble upbringing in North Carolina, becoming a star for the state’s beloved Tar Heels before being drafted seventh overall by the Chicago Bulls in 2019. White has become a breakout star for the Bulls over the last two seasons, becoming a 20-point per game scorer for the first time as a pro in 2024-25.

However, it wasn’t exactly a perfect trajectory for White in the NBA. After starting 54 games for Chicago during his second season in 2020-21, White was relegated to a reserve role for much of the next two seasons. He saw his scoring average drop from 15.1 points per game as a regular starter in 2020-21 to just 9.7 points per game as a reserve in 2022-23.

White returned to the starting lineup regularly in 2023-24 and immediately began playing the best basketball of his career, scoring a then-career high 19.7 points per game before topping that number with 20.4 points per game last season. White has since received plenty of interest as a high-level trade chip, but the Bulls have been committed to keeping his skill set with the team.

From NC To The League

Despite the natural turbulence of life in the NBA, it’s safe to say that it’s a life White values and cherishes. The 25-year-old recently sat down with Andscape’s Marc Spears, where he discussed his journey to the NBA in a long-form feature interview. In that interview, White credited basketball with saving his life and keeping him on the right path.

“I always say that basketball saved my life,” White told Spears. “I remember while growing up, the people I was hanging around with when I got to about 14, 13 (years old) started getting involved with gangs and stuff like that.

“And I always thank my mom, my dad, my brother, and my sister because they raised me the right way. I remember getting asked to join the gang and [if I] wanted to be a part of that. And I knew, first off, that my dad would kick my (expletive) if I ever did anything like that.”

It’s clear White made the right choice, and his life and basketball career have thrived as a result. It may have been a split-second decision, but sometimes things just feel like fate.

“I also knew that if I was to get in trouble, I couldn’t play the game that I love. … If I would’ve made any other decision, my life could have been totally different,” White said. “I made that split-second decision, and I made the right decision that kind of saved me from going down the path where a lot of my peers and friends and homies that I grew up with went down.”

White is now heading into a pivotal year in his Bulls tenure, as the score-first guard is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2026.