By Jeje Gomez | Pounding The Rock, 2024-06-20 11:27:11
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
怀特并没有在马刺待太久，也并没有取得太多成功，但他留下的深刻印象让他在大多数球迷心中占据了特殊的位置。
凯尔特人夺冠后，一批马刺球迷在社交媒体和评论区表达了喜悦之情。这固然是因为他们的对手独行侠输了，但还有一个主要因素：德瑞克·怀特。
马刺球迷依然热爱着怀特，这种爱意通常是留给那些在圣安东尼奥待更久、赢得过总冠军或者两者兼具的球员的。这是一种特殊的情谊，至今仍然存在。随着怀特的职业生涯继续发展，这种情谊是否会持续下去，将是一件有趣的事情。
除了怀特本人似乎是一个好人之外，他崛起和被交易的背景也解释了为什么他如此受欢迎。怀特是在马刺历史上最黯淡的赛季之前被选中的，当时“伦纳德事件”导致了这支梦想着争冠的球队首轮出局，随后马努·吉诺比利退役，伦纳德也被交易。怀特在新秀赛季只是一个边缘人物，但在二年级时，他接过首发控卫的重担，顶替了受伤的德章泰·穆雷，并在首轮对阵掘金队的比赛中表现出色。怀特沉默寡言，但自信满满，总是无私谦逊。在马刺球迷渴望希望和稳定的时刻，他代表着希望和延续。
怀特被交易后的情况也巩固了他作为马刺球迷最爱的地位。由于他的离开没有像德章泰·穆雷或卡哇伊·莱昂纳德那样引起争议，他的形象没有受到损害，球迷们可以欣赏他的回忆，而无需有任何保留。他被交易后表现出的态度也起了很大作用。怀特从未发表过夸夸其谈的言论，似乎深受队友喜爱，并对选中他的球队心怀感激。与争议更大的穆雷形成对比，他反而更加受欢迎。他还是一个赢家。对于那些在重建过程中挣扎的球迷来说，看到怀特取得成功，并且没有牺牲任何让他在马刺队展现的那些特质，让他们从圣安东尼奥不断输球的现实中得到了一些喘息的机会，也让他们间接地感到了一些自豪。
巧合的是，怀特的成功可能会让他在未来不再那么容易被与马刺联系在一起，至少在局外人眼中是这样。首轮七场不敌掘金的比赛对于一个首发球员来说，并没有那么令人难忘，尤其是对于一个在总冠军球队中担任重要角色的球员来说。怀特在波士顿出场的场次已经超过了他在马刺的时间，尽管他在凯尔特人的数据与他在圣安东尼奥时惊人地相似，但人们普遍认为，由于球队取得的成功，他取得了巨大的进步，而这并非他自己的功劳。如果他如报道所说获得续约，并在波士顿继续征战几年，那么怀特将不可避免地与凯尔特人联系在一起。
与此同时，马刺现在进入了重建的阶段，球迷的注意力将转向内部。当圣安东尼奥陷入平庸或重建时，为前队员的成功欢呼很容易，因为总冠军离他们很遥远。然而，如果维克托·文班亚马继续按照预期发展，管理层在这个休赛期也成功地引进了球员，情况可能会很快发生变化。怀特的凯尔特人队在东部，而且已经登上了最高峰，所以他们不一定会被视为对手，但总有一天，他们会成为马刺队的障碍。到时候，球迷们将更加关注寻找下一个怀特，而不是庆祝第一个怀特的成功。
幸运的是，现在还没有到那个时候。目前，怀特仍然是那些支持他的人可以间接感到自豪的球员，他的成功至少有一部分要归功于马刺。他还不太可能像斯蒂芬·杰克逊和德章泰·穆雷一样，辜负银黑军团球迷的好意，这意味着他在圣安东尼奥的时间将继续被人们怀念。
随着马刺队有望继续朝着争冠目标前进，球迷与怀特之间的联系自然会逐渐淡化，但新球员将需要填补巨大的空白。就像乔治·希尔和帕蒂·米尔斯之前一样，怀特的才华和性格给圣安东尼奥留下了深刻的印象，要成为新的球迷最爱，将不会容易。
点击查看原文：Why Spurs fans still love Derrick White
Why Spurs fans still love Derrick White
White wasn’t with the franchise for long and didn’t enjoy much success, but he left a lasting impression that has kept him in a special place in most fans’ hearts.
After the Celtics closed out the Finals and were crowned champions, a sizable group of Spurs fans seemed elated in social media and comments sections. Part of why that’s the case is easily attributable to the rival Mavericks being on the losing end, but there’s another major factor at play: Derrick White.
Spurs fans seem to still love White in a way that is typically reserved for players who spent more time in San Antonio, won titles, or both. It’s a special bond that has endured so far and it will be interesting to see if it can continue to exist as his career continues.
The context of White’s rise and trade for San Antonio helps explain why he’s so liked, aside from just seemingly being a good guy. White was drafted before the bleakest Spurs season in decades, as the Kawhi Leonard drama led to a first-round exit for a team with dreams of contention, followed by Manu Ginobili’s retirement and Leonard’s trade. During his rookie year, White was an afterthought but he took over the reins as a sophomore, filling in for the injured Dejounte Murray as the starting point guard and having a stellar performance in the first-round exit against the Nuggets. White was quiet but confident and always selfless and humble. He represented hope and continuity at a time when Spurs fans were looking for it.
The aftermath of his trade also helped cement White as a favorite for Spurs fans. Since there was no controversy to his exit like with Dejounte Murray or Kawhi Leonard, his image is not tarnished and the memories can be appreciated without disclaimers. His demeanor after being moved has also played a huge part. White never made bombastic statements and is seemingly loved by his teammates and grateful to the team that drafted him. The contrast with the more controversial Murray has favored him. He was also a winner. For the people who struggled with the rebuild, seeing White succeed without compromising any of the traits that made him Spurs-y in the first place provided a respite from the constant reminder that San Antonio was losing and allowed for some indirect sense of pride.
Coincidentally, White’s success is what might pull him away from being identified with the Spurs as closely going forward, at least from outsiders. The seven-game loss to Denver in the first round doesn’t feel as memorable for a guy who started for and played an integral part in an NBA champion. White has also already played more minutes in Boston than he did with the Spurs and while his numbers with the Celtics have been eerily similar to the ones he was posting in San Antonio, the perception is that he’s made a huge leap because of the level of team success that he, to no fault of his own, couldn’t find in San Antonio. If he gets an extension as reported and plays in Boston for a few more contending years, White will be inextricably linked to the Celtics.
At the same time, the Spurs are now entering a stage of the rebuild in which the attention will turn inwards. Rooting for the success of former members of the franchise was easy when San Antonio was stuck in mediocrity or rebuilding, since championships were not within grasp. If Victor Wembanyama continues to develop as expected and the front office makes good additions this offseason, however, that could soon change. White’s Celtics are in the East and have already reached the highest heights, so they won’t necessarily be seen as a rival, but at some point they will be in the Spurs’ way. And fans will be more concerned with finding the next White than celebrating the original.
That time is not here yet, fortunately. For now, White is still someone his Day 1 fans can feel some indirect pride about, and at least a small part of his success can be attributed to the Spurs. He’s also unlikely to squander the goodwill of the Silver and Black faithful like past fan favorites like Stephen Jackson and, to a lesser extent, Dejounte Murray did, which means his time in San Antonio will continue to be remembered fondly.
As the Spurs hopefully keep building toward contention, the connection the fanbase has with White will naturally fade somewhat, but the new players will have big shoes to fill. Like George Hill and Patty Mills before him, White’s talent and character left a lasting impression in San Antonio, and becoming the new favorite won’t be easy.
By Jeje Gomez, via Pounding The Rock