His name is Kobe, but he has surpassed Jordan's record twice, and the chicken ribs that were almost abandoned by the team have now become a non-sale for the Chicago Bulls.
This season's Bulls are in turmoil both internally and externally. But if you had to find one unexpected surprise, it would definitely be this player named Kobe. Explosive-headed, bearded Kobe White, belated awakening, made Chicago wait four years. Although the Most Improved Player award this season has been awarded to Maxey of Philadelphia, let's not forget that this point guard with a thin body but an explosive head has also played an outstanding performance this season and has become Chicago's only light this season.
In the regular season this season, Koby White not only saved the team many times, but also set a new career average of points per game. In January, the average score per game exceeded the 20-point mark, as if the team's second leader was immediate. His appearance is a ray of light for the Bulls now, and it also makes LaVine, who has an annual salary of $40 million, even more embarrassing.
White's father was a basketball player, and he was influenced by his father from a young age and developed a keen interest in basketball. From a very young age, White's father demanded rigorous basketball training. Under the spur of his father, White continued to practice his basic skills, such as dribbling, shooting, and passing.
In addition to the hairstyle, White's more eye-catching may be his name. Like Kobe, White showed great scoring ability in high school. With 3,573 points, he became the all-time scoring leader of high schools in North Carolina. As an alumnus of Jordan, White was on fire in his first year, surpassing Jordan with 469 points and becoming the scoring champion of the University of North Carolina.
When the Chicagoans drafted White with the 7th pick in '19, the team was in the mire. In the first two seasons, they won just 49 games. The Bulls' record is disastrous, and the growth rate of young players has not reached the team's set goals. Meanwhile, not long after White's rookie season began, the virus epidemic forced the league to shut down. In the midst of the chaos, the Bulls fired their head coach and replaced him with the Thunder's Donovan. As the former head coach of the Whampoa Military Academy, Donovan prefers to try new players and is willing to give many opportunities to young players.
When Markkani and Windcarter were traded, DeRozan and Vucevic and Ball and Caruso arrived in Chicago one after another, people seemed to see hope for the Bulls' rise again. And White also followed the pace of the big brothers and continued to improve. However, a shoulder injury in training slowed White's growth. In the 21-22 season, after the ball brother Ball was reimbursed for the season due to injury, he collapsed and never returned. The Bulls, who lacked a point guard, began to promote White to the starting lineup. But this sudden opportunity made White unable to adapt for a while.
Last season, White, both in terms of playing time and on-court statistics, hit a new career low. There is a cloud of mystery over his future with the Bulls and what role he should play. But after the storm, there will always be sunny days. White, who is in his fifth season of career, has become a model for counterattack stories in the league. As the number one iron man this season, he not only played 66 games, but also jumped from 9.7 points per game to 19.6 points per game, and his shooting percentage came to a terrible 58.3%. While nominally a point guard, White also took on the responsibility of being an outside scorer while LaVine had only played 25 games due to injury. On ball-handling three-pointers, his shooting percentage soared to 40.8 percent from 27.6 percent last season.
Behind the long-term and arduous results, in addition to the improvement of the role status, it also benefits from his technological progress. Why White was able to pull off such an astonishing metamorphosis in one summer has to mention his trainers. His trainer was none other than Chris Paul's trainer, Johnson Stephen.
Stephen made a name for himself in the '16 playoffs when he helped Paul recover from a broken hand. White was invited to Chris Paul's training camp, where White and Stephen became acquainted with each other. The pair's first collaboration began in the summer of 2021, when training focused on improving White's ball control. In his second year, White began practicing his foot balance and how to stop the ball. During Stephen's training, he also improved his hand strength and shooting muscle memory. Day after day of hard training, sweat testifies to everything he has done.
Bulls coach Donovan visited the training gym and was impressed by White's performance. At the end of the summer in Chicago, White did a lot of things he couldn't do before. This once again shocked the Bulls' coaching staff. After re-signing White, Carter and Dosunm, the Bulls' backcourt roster has deepened. But Donovan has already made a decision, and that is that White will be the team's starting point guard in the new season.
With LaVine requesting a trade, the Bulls' record is miserable, and the locker room atmosphere is even more messy. The Bulls finished at the bottom of the season and didn't look like a team that could make the playoffs, even making the playoffs. And White, who was ready to go, finally seized the opportunity. White was a bit sluggish at the start of the game, but as DeRozan put the ball in White's hands more often, White's shooting percentage began to pick up. In the middle of the season, White's production exploded.
Since a 5-14 start, the Bulls have a 27-20 record. Kobe White averaged 25 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game in the middle of the season, like a top attacker in the NBA and a rare two-way guard in the league. In the game against the Timberwolves, the No. 1 in the West, the Bulls once trailed by 27 points, and Koby White hit seven three-pointers to lead the team to a comeback. White's seven three-pointers also became the Bulls' all-time record. In the Bulls' career, White hit 557 three-pointers, which also surpassed Jordan and ranked fifth in team history.
Not only that, White's 30+ performances in the game many times have allowed the tenacious Chicago to still retain the chance to advance to the playoffs. In the life-and-death battle between the play-offs and the Hawks, White scored 42 points, leading the team to eliminate the Hawks. The fans in the stadium were in a boil, and they pointed at White and shouted, "Kobe! Bryant! ”。
White, who has an annual salary of 12 million, does Jordan's work. After being drafted by the Bulls, White was so nervous that he didn't even dare to open his mouth to speak when he saw his idol Michael Jordan. More than 30 years ago, the teenager from North Carolina wearing the No. 23 jersey had already turned into a bronze statue standing in front of the United Center. More than 30 years later, Kobe White, who is in his early twenties, wears the No. 0 jersey, with the heritage of North Carolina and the expectations of his father, and stands firmly in front of Chicago fans. He aspires to forge his own basketball path.
When he was in high school, his father who died of cancer plunged the teenager into endless grief and cried until he collapsed. Now, with the sustenance left by his father, he has become the hope of the Bulls.
With LaVine determined to trade, and Arzan, who is getting older, the Bulls are in dire need of a new benchmark. And Kobe White, who has just turned two and 24 years old, may be the answer that Windy City has been looking for.