Chicago Bulls guard Coby White has basketball to thank for saving his life

As Chicago Bulls guard Coby White recently discussed his vision to aid the lives and minds of challenged Black and brown youth, he reflected on what kept him from overcoming the dangerous trappings of his younger years:

Family, fear and basketball.

“I always say that basketball saved my life,” White told Andscape a week ago. “I remember while growing up the people I was hanging around with when I got to about 14, 13 started getting involved with gangs and stuff like that.

“And I always thank my mom, my dad, my brother and my sister because they raised me the right way. I remember getting asked to join the gang and [if I] wanted to be a part of that. And I knew, first off, that my dad would — excuse my language — would kick my a– if I ever did anything like that.

“But I also knew that if I was to get in trouble, I couldn’t play the game that I love. … If I would’ve made any other decision, my life could have been totally different. I made that split-second decision, and I made the right decision that kind of saved me from going down the path where a lot of my peers and friends and homies that I grew up with went down.”

While too many of his childhood friends have succumbed to peril, White has taken the right path on and off the court for years.

White, 25, now has an opportunity to become the face of the rebuilding young Bulls this upcoming season. The opportunity came from averaging 20.5 points per game last season while also posting career highs in points, 3-point field goals, steals, field goal percentage and free-throw percentage. The former University of North Carolina star has the additional motivation of being a free agent in the summer of 2026.

Using his platform as a budding NBA star with All-Star dreams, White recently re-launched the Coby White Family Foundation in hopes of helping Black and Brown youth with holistic mental health support, equitable opportunities and creative empowerment while resilience and confidence.

The primarily focus of the CWFF is helping underprivileged youth in Chicago and White’s native North Carolina.

“I feel like I can continue to impact the youth. It starts with showing them what the rights and the wrongs are and that violence ain’t ever the answer. There’s more to life than gang violence, more to life than being in a gang, more to life than what they have seen so far,” White said.

White was born on Feb. 16, 2000, in Goldsboro, N.C., to former HBCU North Carolina Central guard Donald White and Bonita White. Coby White credits his father, who died of liver cancer in 2017, for putting a basketball in his hands and being his inspiration. Coby’s older brother, Will, also played in college at Mars Hill University in western North Carolina and coached in college.

But before White became a high school basketball star at the Greenfield School (N.C.), North Carolina Mr. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American, he says he nearly succumbed to the streets of Goldsboro.

The eastern North Carolina town of about 35,000 people is primarily African American and best known for its hiking and kayaking at Cliffs of Neuse State Park, tasty barbecue and Southern charm. The Goldsboro Daily News reported in June, however, that there have been concerns “about gang formation and violence” in recent years.

Goldsboro, about 50 miles southeast of Raleigh, was ranked as the poorest city in North Carolina in 2021 with fewer than 20 percent of adults having four-year degrees, according to 24/7 Wall Street. Goldsboro’s median household income is $47,005 and its poverty rate is 20.78%, according to World Population Review.

White said several of his friends he grew up with in Goldsboro “haven’t really fared too well” as some are incarcerated while others died because of gang violence and shootings. He said he has had “tough conversations” with friends he distanced himself from because they weren’t in a positive space.

“It is really a small town. It’s one of the poorest cities in North Carolina, so we didn’t have access to much. ..,” White said of Goldsboro. “The way we saw it in every other rural community was, ‘I can only do these certain things to make it out. I can only do these certain things to be successful. I can only play basketball, I can only play football, play sports. I can only rap.’

“The avenues that we had were very slim. … A lot of my peers that I grew up with had access to different types of things in life, if they were shown different types of things, if they were shown different types of job professions. If they figured out ways to handle their mental health, I felt like personally they would’ve come out differently.

“A lot of guys that I grew up with — a lot of them still in Goldsboro — really [are] not doing much, [are] still incarcerated or they’re no longer living,” White said. “So, I felt like that it was my job to use my platform and where I’m at to help future generations in areas where I grew up — to expose them to new truths, expose them to different types of job avenues, expose them to mental health being real in ways that they can handle those type of situations because it’s not something that’s really talked about, especially in Black communities.”

White also said he wants to help make Chicago a better place for Black and brown youth.

“Chicago is a different animal,” White said. “People say every state, every city, they got their own parts that ain’t good and that ain’t bad. I’ve been to a lot of different states, a lot of different cities. And I ain’t never really been around anything like Chicago. So, the hope for me is just continue to impact the youth as much as I can. Give them outlets as much as I can. Be around as much as I can.”

The first step in White pushing for change took place on Sept. 21 when the CWFF had its first charity event in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he played college basketball for the Tar Heels. The event included a welcome reception at the Carolina Basketball Museum and dinner in the basketball practice gym. A chef prepared White’s favorite childhood dishes, symbolizing his life journey and values.

The foundation raised enough money that night to award two $10,000 scholarships starting next year — one to a female student and one to a male student. Five local artists also shared their story during dinner, and artist Marion Tisdale IV took part in a live painting.

White announced during the event that he will soon launch a shop on the phone app Hotcakes that will highlight Black and brown artists nationwide with proceeds going to the artists. His mother, brother and sister are also heavily involved in the foundation.

“I picked the name The Coby White Family Foundation just because I wanted to make sure it’s a family foundation and it is not just me,” White said. “It’s my whole family and what they instilled in me and the legacy that we’re leaving behind for the future generations.

“So, I take a lot of pride being back home and doing things for my community, especially. I want it to be a family thing and I want my mom, my sister, my brother, to really be a part of it. And as much as it’s mine, it is theirs as well.”

White was “super-excited” when he learned that Bulls executive vice-president of basketball operations Arturas Karnisovas, Bulls head coach Billy Donovan and teammate Patrick Williams planned to attend his charity event. White will be an unrestricted free agent with the Bulls next offseason after completing a three-year, $36 million contract. Karnisovas and Donovan’s attendance in North Carolina, however, made White “feel wanted,” which could pay dividends during his free agency next summer.

“It meant a lot, especially now during the start of ramping up for the season,” White said. “And then Billy also had just gotten inducted into the [Naismith Basketball] Hall of Fame. So, for him to make that trip and then AK, as the vice president, he didn’t really have to do that. But for him to make the effort and come down there and be a part of the event, it meant a lot to me and it makes me feel obviously wanted, which is also a great thing in this league. But it was a blessing for him to be able to come.”

On his pending free agency, White said: “One of the things that I like to do in my life is to be present in the moment. I don’t really think too much ahead because I love Chicago. I love being in Chicago. I love the front office. I love my teammates. I love the staff. I built a great relationship with coach Billy Donovan. And for me, if it is meant to be [to] stay Chicago Bull, then I can’t ask for nothing else.”

The Bulls got an indication of the impact White could have for the franchise after trading Zach LaVine to the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 2 last season. White averaged 24.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 2.7 made 3-pointers per in 34.1 minutes per game after the NBA All-Star break. His true shooting percentage was 63.4% after the All-Star break and he also scored a career-high 44 points against the Orlando Magic on March 6.

White hopes to take his game to an All-Star level for the first time with the Bulls this upcoming campaign and, more importantly, win in the process.

“I want to win and I want to become that All-Star caliber player,” said White, who is 6-foot-5. “That’s the next step for me in my personal game. I’ve had two really good seasons, averaging [about] 20 or whatever. The next part is for us to take that leap as a team, and that’s to win and get out of this little play-in [tournament] stage that we are in, take my game to the next level and become an All-Star.”

While the Bulls are famously known for Michael Jordan and their six championships in the 1990s, the franchise has only been to the playoffs once since 2017. With White expected to lead the way, Chicago also has talented young players in Williams, Matas Buzelis, Josh Giddey and Ayo Dosunmu, and veteran center Nikola Vucevic.

White believes the Bulls, who were 31-41 last season, will be a surprise team this season despite low expectations.

“Per usual, they put us at the bottom of the totem pole,” White said. “We’ve got a chance to be good, really good. Obviously, we’re going to need guys to make some jumps, me as well. But I think we’ve got a chance to be really good. There is a lot of opportunity in the East this year. So, for us we’ve got to take it day by day, brick by brick, take advantage of every single day.

“It is September for the past [three] weeks and we have a majority of the team in the gym playing, pickup, working out. We all know this season is a big one for us coming up.”