Derrick White’s request for the number 9 jersey after Nikola Vucevic’s offer of 5 million dollars
Upon his arrival, when Nikola Vucevic came from the Chicago Bulls trade to join Boston Celticsthe veteran center wanted to take his 9, which belongs to the Celtics, with him Derrick White. Vucevic reached out to White via text, offering the 2024 champion quarterback a whopping $5 million.
Beli refused, but admits that he is Vucevic doubled the initial bid of $5 millionhe agreed to give up his No. 9, he said, according to the White Noise podcast.
“$5 million is not enough. If he said 10 (million), yes – that’s fine,” White said. “(No.) 9 is my favorite number. When I see people wearing No. 9 at the Garden, and it’s a Nike jersey, I think it’s mine. If there was a special reason why he wanted to be (No.) 9, I might consider it. … I’m willing to trade for $10 million.”
Nikola Vucevic settled for 4th instead of 9th Derrick White with the Celtics. Vucevic also recorded a double-double (12 rebounds, 11 points) with four assists and two steals in a 98-96 win over the Miami Heat in his Celtics debut.
Nikola Vucevic received a standing ovation at the Celtics debut
Celtics center Nikola Vucevic received a standing ovation at TD Garden. In his first game with the Celtics, Vucevic came off the bench fans on their feet welcoming him to his new home.
Nikola Vucevic gets a huge ovation from the TD Garden crowd as he enters the game for the first time as a Celtic 🍀
(via @danield1214) pic.twitter.com/c3eHpIk1BI
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) February 7, 2026
Vucevic continued his double-double performance with another (19 points, 11 rebounds) against his former team, the Bulls. The Celtics won 124-105 before the All-Star break. Vucevic was 7-for-12, including 4-for-5 from deep, with three assists, two blocks and one steal.
The Celtics will face the Warriors on Thursday.
2026-02-18 16:08:00
