When you’re a member of the San Antonio Spurs, you have a plethora of resources to make your career infinitely better.

Derrick White, now of the Boston Celtics, took advantage of those resources.

When he was a member of the Spurs from 2017 through 2022, White had the luxury of learning from Hall of Famers like Tony Parker, Pau Gasol, and future Hall of Famer Kawhi Leonard.

But the one that White remembers fondly is Manu Ginobili. The former Sixth Man of the Year, two-time All Star, two-time All NBA, and four time Champ was inducted into the Hall in 2022 and has seen it all.

He’s had to guard the likes of Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony, so if you’re looking to pick someone’s brain about basketball, there’s no one better to turn to.

On his podcast, “White Noise,” White had opened up on how learning from Ginobili turned him into the player he is today.

"Manu was always super nice. I have nothing but great things to say of Manu… Just seeing the way he operated day to day has influenced everything I've done throughout my career... Manu always gave me confidence. I wouldn’t say I’m 'Manu-ish,' but I kind of saw what he did and thought, 'I can emulate that.'"

White may be a little modest when he says he’s not “Manu-ish,” because if you think about it, the times his team needed him the most, White showed up as his best self.

In fact, White even brings a more dynamic trait than Ginobili, and that’s his length.

He’s potentially one of the best blocking guards in the NBA – a trait that Ginobili clearly didn’t have. Ginobili was taller but moved around like he was a bit stocky, focusing more on the fundamentals. He was nowhere near the athlete that White currently is. 

Not only that, White has developed into one of the NBA’s best playoff performers, primarily from beyond the arc.

In the 2023-24 season, on top of the major contributors in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, it felt like White was the third man in their “Big 3,” similar to when Ginobili was the sidekick to Tony Parker and Tim Duncan.

From there, White was Boston’s sharpshooter, where he’s averaged 40% from 3-point range, which is something that Ginobili too specialized in when he came off the bench for San Antonio.

So not Manu-ish? There’s an argument to be had that he’s more like Manu than any other player in Spurs history.