RABAT, Morocco – A familiar face appeared on a television while George King was enjoying some down time from playing pro basketball in the Middle East. To the American’s delight, it was Boston Celtics guard Derrick White, and King videotaped his ex-University of Colorado teammate with his cell phone.
King is enjoying Morocco while playing in the Basketball Africa League, and like White, has NBA ties.
“It’s funny. I have this video that I need to send to him,” King told Andscape on April 5 before practice. “I was in Lebanon at a restaurant and Derrick was on TV, and I taped myself watching him saying, ‘Yo, you are a global superstar all in Lebanon at this restaurant.’ He was doing some community event, kissing babies.”
The game of basketball has taken King and White from Boulder, Colorado, to all over the world.
White played for USA Basketball in the 2023 World Cup and on their gold medal winning team during the 2024 Paris Olympics. White and the Celtics also played preseason games against the Denver Nuggets at Abu Dhabi Games 2024. As for King, he had short stints with the Phoenix Suns and Dallas Mavericks and in the G League, but of late has played overseas. King currently is a guard for Egypt’s Al Ittihad who opened the 2025 BAL season with a 71-60 win over host FUS Rabat on April 5.
“I haven’t talked to him about playing in Africa, but I definitely will,” White said about King. “But I just think it’s amazing that he continues to get better and continues to put so much work into the game. A lot of people that go overseas sometimes lose their love for the game. But I think he just fell more in love with the process and the things he needs to do to keep his body healthy. It’s great to see.”
King first joined Colorado’s basketball program during the 2013-14 season. White transferred to Colorado from Division II University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2015 and redshirted his first season with one year of eligibility remaining. King didn’t see anything during White’s redshirt season that suggested he could be an NBA player. King added that White was quiet and focused on adjusting to Division I basketball.
“I knew that he was good. I knew that he had size and athleticism. But did I see what he is now? An Olympian? I did not personally. And that’s just God, and that’s a testament to him and his game,” King said about White.
Basketball Africa League
White said King was a positive influence on him during his time with Colorado, especially his redshirt season.
“Honestly, seeing the way he worked was motivating for me and my redshirt year he had a great year and I just learned a lot from him, seeing how hard he worked and how it translated,” White said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for him, learned a lot and had a lot of fun times.”
As a senior for Colorado during the 2016-17 season, White led the Buffaloes with 18.1 points, 4.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game while shooting 51% from the field and 81% from the free-throw line. King felt White would become an NBA player after he scored a team-high 25 points during a 91-89 double overtime loss at Washington State on Jan. 21, 2017.
King was right. White was selected by the San Antonio Spurs with 29th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
“He was in tears because he wanted to win,” King said about White during the Washington State game. “We were 0-7 [in the Pac-12]. And then when I saw him across the locker room with his head in his hands really balling in tears, it showed me the level of competitor he was on top of the skills that he had. And that’s when I personally was like, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah, he’s going to be an NBA player.’ ”
With White gone to the NBA, King was named to the 2018 All-Pac-12 Conference second team after averaging 12.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game as a senior during the 2017-18 season. His NBA stock started to rise after the 2018 Reese’s College All-Star Game where he logged 21 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots and was named Most Valuable Player. King also participated in the Portsmouth Invitational, a pre-NBA draft showcase for college seniors, and the 2018 NBA Draft Combine.
King thought he could be drafted as high as 17th overall by the Milwaukee Bucks during the 2018 NBA draft after strong workouts there. The Bucks, however, drafted then-Villanova guard Donte DiVincenzo instead. King was ultimately selected with the 59th overall pick in the second round by the Phoenix Suns.
“I was happy to be drafted,” King said. “Given my [Colorado] career and where I was before the combine, I wasn’t getting drafted by any team at all. I was doing the undrafted thing. So, I was happy about that. There was not much time for me to soak up the moment with my family because I was in Texas, my name was called around midnight and I was in the second round. And then the team called me and was like, ‘Hey, pack your bags. You got a flight at 5:30 in the morning. You need to be out here for interviews with [the Suns’ top draft picks] Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges.’ ”
While White was solidifying his NBA career with the Spurs and eventually the Celtics, King struggled to find footing in the NBA.
Then-Suns general manager Ryan McDonough drafted King but was fired on Oct. 8, 2018, and was eventually replaced permanently by James Jones. King believed that McDonough’s firing hurt his value with the Suns. King began the 2018-19 season with the G League Northern Arizona Suns. Ironically, in his NBA debut he played against White on Dec. 11, 2018, and went scoreless with one rebound in six minutes during the Suns’ 111-86 blowout loss. That was King’s only NBA game with the Suns.
“I’m the investment of the last management, and so they were looking to go a different direction,” King said about his time in Phoenix. “So, they kept me in the G League as a two-way player the entire season. And that was when you can use your two-way days for practice. So, they would bring me up for practice and then send me back.
“So that was my rookie year. That was just an unfortunate situation and why I would say that didn’t work there. Also, I had an ankle injury.”
Marc J. Spears
King next went overseas to play in Italy, Poland and Germany before attempting to make the NBA again through the G League Agua Caliente Clippers during the 2021-22 season. He garnered NBA interest after he averaged 13.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.5 made 3-pointers per game for Agua Caliente in 11 games. King said he was offered a 10-day contract with the Clippers and Mavericks at the same time.
Believing that the Mavericks offered a potential long-term opportunity since they were looking for shooters to add around Luka Doncic, King signed with Dallas over the Clippers on Dec. 22, 2021. The Mavs were without three players at the time due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols and three more due to injuries and personal matters. In four games with Dallas, King had one point on a made free throw, missed all four 3-point attempts, and grabbed six rebounds in 19 minutes. The Mavs declined to re-sign King after his 10-day contract ended. He hasn’t played in the NBA since.
“I chose Dallas. You got to take risks,” King said. “I had to stretch myself because I was so comfortable and knew the plays with the Clippers. They knew me. They knew my game, they knew my role, and I knew I was going to play well there. And I took this big leap of faith and I failed. I failed, but I swung for the fence and I missed. And I was just underprepared.
“New team, new defensive scheme, new everything. I was trying to drink water out of this fire hose, but that was all on me.”
King played in the Australian National Basketball League (NBL) for the Illawarra Hawks in New South Wales for a short time during the 2022-24 season but departed after suffering a leg injury on Nov. 20. 2022. He made a run at the NBA again playing for the G League Ontario Clippers but was waived on Dec. 22, 2023. Next were pro stops in Israel, the Philippines and Lebanon.
While King definitely has an appreciation for playing basketball all over the world, the 30-year-old hasn’t given up on the NBA.
“I want to be able to maximize what I can do in this game,” King said. “And that’s advice that my mentor, [former NBA player] Jamal Crawford, my [Suns] vet, told me. He was like, ‘Bro, after 19 years [playing professionally] there are only two things you can take with you out of this game. It’s your money and your memories.’ So, I prioritized that. And also, I thank God as well because obviously he’s the one that ultimately has the plan for me.
“And currently right now, if I decide to walk away from the game, I can say I’ve been on five continents at 30 years old. I’ve pretty much seen the world doing what I love. I’m thankful for that. But there is also still that little kid in me whose dream to be an NBA player still is in me to this day.”
Meanwhile, White went on to have the best year of his basketball career in 2024, winning an NBA championship with the Celtics and a gold medal with Team USA. King said he is not only proud of White, but believes he is a role model for aspiring Colorado basketball players.
“He’s not an overbearing specimen physically,” King said of White. “He’s kind of relatable. And I’m really proud for that because it’s going to empower these young kids who dream to be an NBA player in Colorado. Here’s your example, Derrick White right here before you. And he’s so humble. I feel like if Derrick were to walk in here right now, some people may not even notice him. He can come in and have a seat before you realize its Derrick versus maybe some other NBA guys who have this huge ego and rightfully so. So, I’m also proud of that as well. But he deserves it all for sure…
“If you know Derrick, it’s one of those American dream stories. For lack of a better term, rags to riches, right? Derrick really was like this.”
Julien Bacot/NBAE via Getty Images
King added another stop in his pro journey when he signed with Egypt El Al Ittihad in April. He talked to former NBA and BAL guard Ben Uzoh about the five-year old league before deciding to join. Other former NBA players that have played in the BAL include Jamel Artis, Joshua Hall, Ike Diogu and D.J. Strawberry. King was not a part of the qualifying process for the Egyptian club and joined them in Morocco recently for training for Kalahari Conference play in Rabat.
King scored 19 points on 6-of-17 shooting from the field and added six rebounds, two assists and one block in 35 minutes in the season-opening win for Al Ittihad. He even entertained the primarily FUS supporting crowd by putting a fake “King” crown on his head after making his first 3-pointer at the Prince Moulay Abdellah Sports Complex.
From the NBA-like branding, uniform and arena atmosphere to the accommodations to the competition, King has enjoyed the BAL thus far and would recommend it to other former NBA players.
“When the NBA decides to put their name on something, you can expect the best of the best as far as your living accommodations, travel accommodations, amenities, making sure this was well thought out,” King said. “And obviously, I did my due diligence before I came here. I spoke to Ben Uzoh and he gave high remarks about this. He’s also an NBA guy working with the Toronto Raptors now. And so, it was easy for me to come here.
“It’s new. Five years old. Once more guys catch wind of the BAL and how they do things, accommodations, you won’t be mentioning me being the only former NBA player here. I doubt that’s going to be the case going forward. You’ll see multiple faces who have NBA resumes on them in the BAL, that’s for sure.”
While White is trying to repeat as an NBA champion with the Celtics, King is seeking a first-ever BAL title with Al Ittihad (2-0). King and White typically connect with one another during the offseason in Boulder, during offseason workouts and football games. There certainly will be a lot of global basketball talk to catch up on when the former teammates connect again.
“George is an unreal guy, hard worker and it’s great to see him continue to fall in love with the game and continue to play at a high level,” White said. “Every time I see him in the summer it’s like we haven’t been gone [from one another] that long. And so, he’s a great guy and I’m super-happy that he’s having success and having fun playing the game he loves.”