DJ White

DJ White Biography

Dewayne (DJ) White Jr. is currently a retired professional basketball player, and former NBA and Indiana University basketball player. White was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama and attended Hillcrest High School also located in Tuscaloosa. He then played for four seasons as power forward for the Indiana Hoosiers Men’s Basketball team from 2004 to 2008. During his four-year tenure at IU, White helped the Hoosiers make the NCAA tournament three times. White was named 2005 Big Ten Freshman of the year, Second Team All-Big Ten his junior year, and First Team All-Big Ten, and Big Ten Player of the Year after his senior year.

• Name: Dewayne (DJ) White Jr.
• Position: Power Forward
• Nationality: USA
• Age: 38 years old
• Birthday: August 31, 1986
• Born: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
• High School: Hillcrest High School (Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
• Height: 6’9″ (190 cm)
• Seasons: 4 (2004-2008)
• Jersey: #3
• Education: General Studies, minors in criminal justice and African-American Studies

Awards and Accolades

• 2005: Big Ten Freshman of the Year
• 2006-2008: NCAA Tournament Appearance
• 2007: Second Team All-Big Ten
• 2008: Big Ten Player of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten, Second Team All-American

Social Media Accounts

• Twitter: @dj_white3
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waynejr_3/

DJ White High School Recruiting Profile

White attended Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa and was a dominant basketball player. He was phenomenal the year prior to joining the Hoosiers, averaging 20 points and 15 rebounds per game and earning numerous awards. He played in the Jordan Capital Classic, McDonalds All-American Game, and the Nike Hoop Summit.

Rivals had White ranked 15^th overall and the 4^th best power forward in the class of 2004. He had offers from IU, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, and Mississippi State. White chose IU the summer of 2003 because he told the Associated Press that he liked Coach Mike Davis and loved Indiana, and his decision to join IU was, “probably mostly about Coach Davis.”

DJ White Seasons with the Hoosiers

DJ White Indiana University Career Statistics

DJ White’s College Basketball Career

DJ White joined the Hoosiers in 2004 with other freshmen James Hardy, Patrick Ewing Jr., Sean Kline, Robert Vaden, and Mike Roberts. White and Ewing Jr were the only freshmen from out of state to join the team that year. Unfortunately for White, the team did not make the NCAA Tournament. Instead they made the NIT after finishing 4^th in the conference and 15-14 overall. White had a standout season however and was recognized as Big Ten Freshman of the Year. He averaged an impressive 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 blocks per game. He led all Big Ten freshmen in scoring, blocks, and field goal percentage.

White’s sophomore season was unfortunately short lived as he received a medical red shirt that year due to breaking his foot. Even though White later returned, he injured his foot again ending his season. In the 5 games White played, he averaged 9 points and 6 rebounds per game. Unfortunately, he was not able to help the 6 seed Hoosiers in the NCAA Tournament that year, as they lost to Gonzaga in the second round. Coach Davis would resign after that season and coach UAB’s men’s basketball team. IU then replaced him with Kelvin Sampson. IU finished 4^th in the conference that year and 19-12 overall. Instead of transferring due to a coaching change, White stayed and ended up starting all 32 games that year for the Hoosiers, leading them to the NCAA Tournament as a 7 seed, a 3^rd place conference finish, and a 21-11 record. White was named Second Team All-Big Ten and led the Hoosiers in scoring and rebounds. IU got their revenge against Gonzaga and defeated them in the first round yet lost to Ben Howland’s UCLA Bruins.

White’s senior year was his best year as a Hoosier, as he was named Big Ten Player of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten, and Second Team All-American. IU finished 3^rd in the conference and 25-8 overall. Once again, White along with freshman standout Eric Gordon led the team to the NCAA Tournament as an 8 seed. Unfortunately, they lost to Arkansas in the first round. This season was notable due to Kelvin Sampson’s resignation and Dan Dakich’s take over as interim head coach. Even though the season was filled with turmoil, White still managed to lead the conference in rebounds and field goal percentage. This would be White’s last season at IU, as he decided to enter the NBA Draft boasting an impressive 17 points and 10 rebounds per game.

DJ White’s Professional Basketball Career

On June 26^th, 2008, with the 29^th pick in the NBA Draft, the Detroit Pistons selected DJ White from Indiana University. Interestingly enough, White was then traded to the SuperSonics, who relocated to Oklahoma City soon after. Therefore, White actually never played a game for the Sonics, instead he started his career in a Thunder uniform. He finally made his NBA debut in April of 2009 against the Pacers after going through jaw surgery, which sidelined him for a few months. His rookie year was cut short to only 7 games, however, in those 7 games, he averaged close to 9 points and 5 rebounds in about 19 minutes per game.

Another injury sidelined White, allowing him to only play 12 games during his sophomore NBA season. While recovering from a broken thumb, White had success in the NBA G-league with the Tulsa 66ers. Even though he only played 16 career games for the 66ers, he averaged about 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, which is why he had such short stints with the G-league team.

Although White played in the NBA for 7 seasons, he was never able to play a full season in the NBA. The most games White played in a season was 58 with the Charlotte Bobcats. He played about 19 minutes per game while averaging 7 points and close to 4 rebounds per game. White later ended up signing a contract with the Boston Celtics but was then traded to the Brooklyn Nets along with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.