Nothing worth having comes easy, and Kobe White knows that as well as anyone. The 24-year-old Chicago Bulls guard is fresh off the best season of his career thus far. He showed flashes early on despite struggling to carve out a consistent role in the rotation, but things came together this year and the North Carolina native finished second in the race for the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.
We caught up with Kobe to talk about his offseason plans, becoming the top guy in Chicago, staying put and more.
SLAM: How has the offseason been so far?
Kobe White. It’s quiet bro. I haven’t really done much because of how long the season has been. I calmed down. really just been in the weight room, tried to lay the foundation before I got back on the court. I usually give myself two weeks (rest), but this year I played a lot more minutes, so this offseason is a little different for me. I take three to four weeks and then I’m really back at it.
SLAM: You’re coming off the best season of your career so far, we’ll get to that in a minute, but I want to take it back to last year. Was there anything you did differently last season in preparation for this season, or was it just a matter of everything finally coming together?
CW: I think last year, as far as the court and the weight room, the physical side of it was pretty much the same. What really changed for me was that I took the mental side of it differently; I took a different approach. Coach (Billy) Donovan really put it in my mind to mentally transform. He felt that it was the next step for me. So I started trying to grow mentally by doing little things like reading more, meditating, putting myself on a schedule, praying a few times a day, things like that. And then Coach Donovan took me and some of the younger guys to Colorado last year. We met with a mental coach and he gave us small exercises. I just wanted to carry that into my summer training and into the season.
SLAM: You only started two games last year, but it was clear at the start of this season that you were going to have a much bigger role. How has the transition been for you, establishing your role as the team’s lead point guard?
CW: It was hard at first, but fun. Obviously, things changed during our season. Going into the year I knew I was going to have a big role, but by the end of the year it was even bigger than I thought it was going to be. I just accepted the challenge. My teammates and coaching staff supported me and were patient. It was a learning experience. There was definitely a learning curve at first. But once I got around to doing that and learning to use my voice and be a leader, that’s when everything just kind of clicked and I went from there.
SLAM: Unlike many other lottery picks, you weren’t immediately given the keys to your franchise. Can you talk about what it’s like for you to stay the course and how you’ve been prepared for the inevitable moment when you get the chance?
CW: It was hard at first, especially as a newbie. You kind of look around the League and you see all of your colleagues who were drafted in the same area as you and you see a lot of guys playing 36 minutes, starting, leading their teams to wins and playing (in those tough times). . For me, I was coming off the bench playing, like, 18 minutes a game. I think the hardest part for me was the mental part. I’ve always been a hard worker and I’ve always worked on my game. I just wanted to show them that no matter what position you put me in, I’m going to continue to be myself and work the way I always work in the gym. I just had to understand the mental part. it was a different kind of misery that I had never been through in my life. But when I accepted the fact that I had to work for it and be patient, I became much closer to God, especially to his plan for me. I felt for the longest time in my soul that my time would come. I just had to be patient. This year has finally arrived and I just thank God for allowing me to be in this position.
SLAM: Was there a moment early in the season that you can pinpoint where it was like, Will this year be different?
CW: I think training camp was different. I just knew I couldn’t fail. I had the support of my teammates and my coaching staff, and I was more outspoken and a leader out there. Then, when the season started, I wasn’t very good. I was fine the first month. I wasn’t myself for the first month, but I remember talking to my brother and telling him that I had this feeling that everything was going to come together. Then, in December, everything just clicked and the confidence kept growing. Then, you know, you get comfortable (in your role) and you get a sense like, I belong here. This is who I am. And then I just kept getting better as the season went on.
SLAM: You won second place for the Most Improved Player Award; even though you didn’t win, is there any satisfaction in knowing that other people and your peers consider you one of the league’s young stars?
CW: You couldn’t go wrong (with any of the MIP Award finalists), but it felt like a loser to me. There really is no satisfaction. Like, you either win or you lose, and I just kind of see it. For me, it’s extra motivation, extra fuel, but it’s not animosity. Any of us could win it. Being in conversations and people getting to know who I am, I try not to pay attention to that because I try not to get too high or too low. I enjoy the moments when they come. And then when they go, it’s behind me. I had a great season, but I need to continue to build on the foundations and continue to grow in all aspects of my game.
SLAM: After losing in the playoffs, you all failed to make the playoffs. What do you think is the next step for you to become the lead point guard for a team that is a perennial playoff contender?
CW: I think I just continued to build as a leader and use my voice. One of the hardest parts is the emotional side. There are so many emotions that go into one game, let alone an entire season. I’m an emotional guy; I wear my heart on my sleeve. When it comes to basketball, I think a lot and I’m emotional about it, and sometimes it affects me to the point where I’m not going to be the leader that I should be. I have to be that rock for the team, that foundation for the team. I have to be the one to bring them all back. I am studying in that field.
And I think I need to do more conditioning this summer. I can’t let fatigue play a role in whether I play well or not. I didn’t know I was going to go in and play the game for about 40 minutes. The role that I had going into the season, I was like version four. At the end of the season, I was the first or second option. At the end of the season, when teams started to adjust to me and make things more difficult for me, I feel that fatigue played a big part in some games that I didn’t play as well. I feel like making a step in my training and fitness will help me take the next step to where I want to be.
I will also work on being more creative on the ball. I’m learning how to get into my positions, learning how to play through physicality because now, every night, I’m getting the first and second best quarterbacks on the team.
SLAM: Looking ahead to next season, what are some goals you’re aiming to achieve?
CW: I think winning really takes care of everything. But for me, individually, I think the next step is just to be a star star. I had one goal this past summer and that was to prove to everyone that I deserve to be a top point guard in the NBA and that I can be a starting point guard in the NBA. The one thing I want to do next year is just prove that I can sustain this level of play and make the leap and become an All-Star. I feel like if I keep working and being on the trajectory I’m on, I think winning will make it an easy choice. For me, winning always comes first.
Photos via Getty Images.
