Okaro White
Okaro White | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 13, 1992 Brooklyn, New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Professional basketball player |
| Known for | Playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg in the VTB United League; former Florida State Seminoles player |
Okaro Wayne Anthony White (born August 13, 1992) is a professional basketball athlete from the United States currently playing for Zenit Saint Petersburg in the VTB United League. He competed at the collegiate level with the Florida State Seminoles.
Early life
Born in Brooklyn, New York, on August 13, 1992, White grew up alongside an older brother and sister. His mother, Charmaine White, was an accomplished track athlete representing Jamaica internationally. The family later relocated to Clearwater, Florida to be closer to his grandmother.
During eighth grade, White experienced a rapid growth phase, increasing his height by five and a half inches over the summer break.
As a senior at Clearwater High School, he earned the title of Pinellas County Basketball Player of the Year.
College career
White committed to play college basketball at Florida State, choosing them over offers from programs such as Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Clemson, and Miami (Fl.). At Florida State, he was a starter on two NCAA Tournament squads. In his final year, he posted career-best averages of 13.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc. Defensively versatile, he guarded multiple positions ranging from small forward to power forward. White was one of 64 seniors invited to participate in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament.
Virtus Bologna (2014–2015)
After not being selected in the 2014 NBA draft, White joined the Memphis Grizzlies for the 2014 NBA Summer League, where he averaged 8.2 points and 2.6 rebounds across five contests. On July 31, 2014, he signed with Italy’s premier club Virtus Bologna competing in the top-tier Lega Basket Serie A. Throughout 33 games with Virtus, he averaged 12.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.0 blocks per game.
Aris Thessaloniki (2015–2016)
In July 2015, White participated in summer league sessions with both the Memphis Grizzlies and the Dallas Mavericks. Subsequently, on August 7, 2015, he inked a one-year deal with Greek Basket League and EuroCup team Aris Thessaloniki. Over 26 league games in Greece, White produced averages of 13.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.7 steals, and 0.4 blocks per contest, leading the league in Performance Index Rating (PIR) with a total of 474.
During the playoffs spanning ten games, his performance elevated to averages of 14.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per outing. For the entire season covering 36 games, he maintained averages of 13.9 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. His outstanding contributions earned him a spot on the Greek League Best Five and recognition as the Most Spectacular Player for the 2015–16 season. In EuroCup competition that year, he averaged 11.0 points and grabbed 6.4 rebounds per game across sixteen appearances.
Sioux Falls Skyforce (2016–2017)
White joined the Miami Heat roster for the 2016 NBA Summer League in June 2016 and subsequently signed with them on July 15 of that year. However, after participating in six preseason games, he was waived on October 22. Shortly thereafter, on November 1, 2016, he was acquired by the Heat’s affiliate team in the NBA Development League, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as an affiliate player.
Miami Heat (2017–2018)
On January 17, 2017, White rejoined the Heat by signing a 10-day contract under an NBA hardship exemption, which permitted the team to surpass the standard 15-player roster limit. He made his first appearance two days afterward, recording a single rebound in nine minutes during a victory against the Dallas Mavericks. White secured a second 10-day contract on January 27 and subsequently earned a contract for the remainder of the season on February 6. On February 16, he was reassigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce to take part in the NBA Development League All-Star game.
On February 8, 2018, the Heat traded White to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Luke Babbitt, after which he was released.
Cleveland Cavaliers (2018)
White signed a 10-day contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers on March 18, 2018. His contract was extended on April 7, allowing him to remain for the rest of the season and be eligible for postseason play. The Cavaliers advanced to the 2018 NBA Finals but were swept in four games by the Golden State Warriors. On August 5, 2018, White was waived by Cleveland. He later joined the San Antonio Spurs training camp roster on September 24, 2018, but was waived on October 13.
Washington Wizards (2018)
White signed with the Washington Wizards on November 23, 2018; however, he was waived less than a month later on December 20.
Long Island Nets (2019)
On January 4, 2019, White was acquired by the Long Island Nets.
Unics Kazan (2020–2021)
White signed with UNICS Kazan of the VTB United League on August 31, 2020. During his tenure, he played a key role in guiding the team to the EuroCup finals, averaging 10.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest.
Panathinaikos (2021–2022)
On July 14, 2021, White agreed to a two-year (1+1) contract with Panathinaikos, competing in both the Greek Basket League and EuroLeague, reuniting with coach Dimitris Priftis. Throughout 32 Greek Basket League games, he averaged 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds over approximately 23 minutes per game. In addition, across 29 EuroLeague appearances, he posted averages of 8.4 points and 3.7 rebounds within similar playing time.
Windy City Bulls (2022)
White joined the training camp roster of the Windy City Bulls on October 23, 2022.
NBA
|- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 35 || 0 || 13.5 || .379 || .353 || .909 || 2.3 || .6 || .3 || .3 || 2.8 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Miami | 6 || 4 || 13.3 || .438 || .364 || .667 || 1.8 || .3 || .2 || .2 || 3.3 |- | style="text-align:left;"| | style="text-align:left;"| Washington | 3 || 0 || 2.0 || .000 || .000 || – || .7 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 0.0 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 44 || 4 || 12.7 || .381 || .340 || .880 || 2.2 || .5 || .3 || .3 || 2.7
College
|- | style="text-align:left;"| 2010–11 | style="text-align:left;"| Florida State | 34 || 13 || 16.5 || .444 || .265 || .828 || 3.1 || .5 || .7 || .4 || 6.6 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2011–12 | style="text-align:left;"| Florida State | 35 || 12 || 22.6 || .476 || .333 || .752 || 4.4 || .5 || .6 || .4 || 7.7 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2012–13 | style="text-align:left;"| Florida State | 34 || 34 || 28.9 || .511 || .313 || .815 || 5.9 || .8 || 1.0|| 1.1|| 12.4 |- | style="text-align:left;"| 2013–14 | style="text-align:left;"| Florida State | 36|| 35|| 30.1|| .514|| .375|| .798|| 6.8|| .9|| .8|| 1.1|| 13.6 |- class="sortbottom" | style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career | 139||94||24.6||.494||.327||.799||5.1||.7||.7||.8||10.1
External links
- Okaro White profile on eurocupbasketball.com
- Okaro White profile at legabasket.it (in Italian)
- Okaro White profile on baskethotel.com
- Okaro White profile at esake.gr (in Greek)
- Okaro White profile on seminoles.com
- 1992 births
- Living people
- 21st-century American sportsmen
- American expatriate basketball players in Greece
- American expatriate basketball players in Italy
- American expatriate basketball players in Russia
- American men's basketball players
- Aris B.C. players
- Basketball players from Brooklyn
- Basketball players from Pinellas County, Florida
- BC UNICS players
- Capital City Go-Go players
- Clearwater High School alumni
- Florida State Seminoles men's basketball players
- Long Island Nets players
- Miami Heat players
- Panathinaikos B.C. players
- Power forwards (basketball)
- Sioux Falls Skyforce players
- Sportspeople from Clearwater, Florida
- Undrafted National Basketball Association players
- Virtus Bologna players
- Washington Wizards players
- Windy City Bulls players