Celtics’ Derrick White dealing with unusual ear injury
Feb 10, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Derrick White (9) during the second half against the Charlotte Hornets at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Derrick White has an injury that you probably won’t see (or rather, hear about) every day.
In the second quarter of Tuesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Boston Celtics guard White took a shot to the left ear during a collision with Bucks counterpart Grayson Allen. TNT’s Jared Greenberg reported after the game that White was having trouble hearing out of the ear and stayed behind in Milwaukee to see an ear specialist.
Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla revealed on Wednesday that White has a hole in his left eardrum. However, White was cleared by doctors to play and rejoined the team in time for that night’s game against the Detroit Pistons in Boston (the second end of a back-to-back set).
The 28-year-old White has been a steady supporting cast member for the Celtics this season. He is averaging 11.8 points and 3.8 assists per game on 38.7 percent three-point shooting over 50 total starts.
A hole in White’s eardrum indicates that he is dealing here with an eardrum rupture. That brings to mind the case of the former NFL player who suffered an injury to his eardrum in an even more bizarre way.
