Tag: Jack White

OKC Thunder waive Jack White; roster officially set

The Thunder have waived Jack White, meaning their regular-season roster is officially set.

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced on Sunday that they had waived forward Jack White, finalizing their 15-man roster for the start of the 2023-24 regular season.

White signed a two-year, $3.9 million partially-guaranteed contract with the Thunder this past offseason.

The 26-year-old made his NBA debut last season with the Denver Nuggets on a two-way deal. He went undrafted in 2020 after spending four college years at Duke.

In four preseason games, White averaged 4 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.8 minutes.

The Thunder’s roster is set:

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Vasilije Micic – Tre Mann
  • Josh Giddey – Cason Wallace – Isaiah Joe
  • Lu Dort – Kenrich Williams – Aaron Wiggins
  • Jalen Williams – Ousmane Dieng – Davis Bertans
  • Chet Holmgren – Jaylin Williams – Aleksej Pokusevski

The three two-way players are Keyontae Johnson, Lindy Waters III and Olivier Sarr.

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OKC Thunder 3 goals: What Jack White has to accomplish in 2023-24 season

Here are 3 goals Jack White can accomplish this upcoming season.

In this continuing series, Thunder Wire assigns three goals to each of the 21 players, per Spotrac, that make up the Oklahoma City Thunder roster.

The Thunder’s season kicks off on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls. After a surprising 40-42 campaign that ended a win shy of the playoffs, OKC enters this year with playoff aspirations.

Let’s assign three goals for Jack White. The second-year player will fight for a roster spot throughout training camp and preseason. He spent significant time in the G League last season.

After being on a two-way deal with the Denver Nuggets last season, White was signed to a partially guaranteed deal by the Thunder.

Player grades: How all 5 OKC Thunder players did in 2023 FIBA World Cup’s group play

During the first two rounds of 2023 FIBA World Cup group play, 5 Thunder players suited up for their country. Here’s how they graded out:

The 2023 FIBA World Cup has moved to the quarterfinal stage, which means only eight teams remain as single-elimination contests are about to begin.

The Oklahoma City Thunder entered the 32-team tournament with five players playing for three teams — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort for Canada; Josh Giddey and Jack White for Australia; and Davis Bertans for Latvia.

After group play, that number has dwindled to three players on Canada and Latvia. Australia failed to advance to the final eight teams with a 3-2 group play record.

With the first two rounds of group play over, let’s look back and hand out a grade for all five Thunder players and how they did in their country’s five games.

PHOTOS: Best images from Sunday’s Thunder-related 2023 FIBA World Cup games

Take a look at some of the best photos from Sunday’s 2023 FIBA World Cup games for Canada, Australia and Latvia:

The 2023 FIBA World Cup concluded its second round group play on Sunday as Canada, Australia and Latvia each played.

Only two of the three teams with Oklahoma City Thunder players advanced to the quarterfinals. Following wins in elimination games, Canada and Latvia qualified for the single-elimination eight-team tournament.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the star of Sunday’s slate of games. He scored 30 points on an efficient 7-of-12 shooting to complete Canada’s comeback win against Spain to avoid elimination.

Meanwhile, Australia finished its campaign with a blowout win against Georgia but failed to finish in the top two in its group.

Let’s look at some of the best photos from Sunday’s Thunder-related FIBA World Cup group games.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Australia concludes group play with 100-84 win over Georgia

Josh Giddey concluded his 2023 FIBA World Cup run with a solid performance.

Australia finished its summer with a convincing 100-84 blowout win against Georgia. The Boomers wrapped up group play with a 3-2 record.

After being eliminated from qualifying for the 2023 FIBA World Cup quarterfinals in their previous loss against Slovenia, Australia played for nothing but pride in its second Round 2 group game.

Australia got off to a bit of a slow start but quickly made up for it with a 54-37 halftime lead. Georgia cut the lead to 12 points entering the fourth quarter, but a 9-2 run helped cool off any chances of a comeback upset.

Despite the lack of stakes, Josh Giddey played solidly in his final game for Australia this summer. In 25 minutes, he finished with 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting, four assists and two rebounds.

Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Jack White also had some run in this game as he checked in during the second quarter. In 11 minutes off the bench, he had two points on 1-of-1 shooting, two rebounds and one assist.

Let’s look at highlights and instant reactions from Australia’s 16-point group win.

2023 FIBA World Cup: How to watch OKC Thunder players for Sunday’s group games

Broadcast information for Sunday’s 2023 FIBA World Cup group games that feature Canada, Australia and Latvia.

The 2023 FIBA World Cup has trimmed down from 32 teams to 16 teams as the second round commences in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.

All three teams — Canada, Australia and Latvia — that feature Oklahoma City Thunder players advanced to the second round as their respective teams finished top two in their group. This means Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Davis Bertans and Jack White will continue to play for gold.

Australia will play its final group game as it was eliminated from the knockout round qualification with a loss to Slovenia. Meanwhile, Canada can clinch its berth with a win against Spain. This is the same case for Latvia in its game against Brazil.

Let’s look at start times and broadcast information for Sunday’s second-round group games that feature the Thunder.

PHOTOS: Best images from Friday’s Thunder-related 2023 FIBA World Cup games

The best photos from Friday’s group games as Canada, Australia and Latvia kicked off second-round contests.

Friday morning saw all five Oklahoma City Thunder players play their first second-round group games. It wasn’t the most productive day; they went a collective 1-2. The day included Australia’s elimination from the 2023 FIBA World Cup quarterfinals.

Meanwhile, Latvia continued its impressive run with a comeback win against Spain, and Canada suffered an upset loss to Brazil.

Davis Bertans scored 16 points in Latvia’s win. Josh Giddey had 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists in Australia’s loss to Slovenia. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort combined for 40 of Canada’s 65 points.

Let’s look at some of the best photos from Friday’s Thunder-related 2023 FIBA World Cup games.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Josh Giddey’s heroics fall short in Australia’s 91-80 loss to Slovenia

Australia is eliminated from advancing to the FIBA World Cup quarterfinals with the loss.

Despite Josh Giddey’s heroics, Australia couldn’t overcome a sluggish start in a 91-80 loss to Luka Doncic and Slovenia. The loss eliminates the Boomers from qualifying for the 2023 FIBA World Cup quarterfinals.

Slovenia started hot, outscoring Australia 28-18 in the first quarter. The middle quarters were a wash, and Australia cut Slovenia’s lead to four points entering the final frame. A 25-18 fourth-quarter scoring advantage for the latter sealed the outcome.

In an elimination game, Giddey continued to live up to his reputation. In 27 minutes, he finished with 25 points on 11-of-18 shooting, eight rebounds and four assists. He went 4-of-5 from the free-throw line and committed six turnovers.

This included a personal 11-0 run by Giddey for Australia that featured several bumpy and physical drives to the basket. A strong second half helped the 20-year-old turn in a masterful performance once again as he established himself as one of the best players during this tournament and outplayed Doncic, who had 19 points, seven rebounds and six assists.

Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Jack White didn’t enter the game until it was essentially over. In two minutes, he grabbed a rebound.

The Boomers conclude their FIBA World Cup run by playing Georgia in their final second-round group game on Sunday, Sept. 3 in hopes of improving their 2-2 record.

Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Australia’s critical loss.

2023 FIBA World Cup: How to watch OKC Thunder players for Friday’s group games

Broadcast information for Friday’s games as Canada, Australia and Latvia kick off Round 2 group play:

The 2023 FIBA World Cup has trimmed down from 32 teams to 16 teams as the second round commences in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines.

All three teams — Canada, Australia and Latvia — that featured Oklahoma City Thunder players advanced to the second round as their respective teams finished top two in their group. This means Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Davis Bertans and Jack White will continue to play for gold.

The 16 teams carry their first-round records into the second round, where they will compete for quarterfinals berths. The two top teams of the four groups qualifying for the Final Phase.

Canada is 3-0 while Australia and Latvia are both 2-1.

In the new groups, Canada and Latvia are in Group L with Spain and Brazil while Australia is in Group K with Germany, Slovenia and Georgia. Each team will play two second-round group games against the two teams in their pool they haven’t played against yet.

Let’s look at start times and broadcast information for Friday’s second-round group games that feature the Thunder.

2023 FIBA World Cup: Australia advances to second round with 109-89 win vs. Japan

Australia advances to the second round behind Josh Giddey’s masterful performance in a 109-89 win over Japan.

Pulling up from deep, Josh Giddey hit the dagger 3 to nip Japan’s comeback attempt in the bud.

It highlighted a monster fourth quarter by the 20-year-old as he stopped Australia’s bleeding in a 109-89 win over Japan. The Boomers finish group play with a 2-1 record.

Giddey continues to build on his elimination game mythos with his best FIBA performance yet. In 31 minutes, he finished with 26 points on 10-of-18 shooting, 11 assists and five rebounds. This included 10 fourth-quarter points to finalize Australia’s advancement to the second round.

After dominating the first half with a 57-35 lead, Australia started to show leakage in the second half as Japan mounted a comeback attempt from its 27-point deficit.

After failing to reach the 20-point mark in the opening two quarters, Japan was an offensive machine in the third quarter with 35 points to cut Australia’s lead to 17 points entering the final frame.

Alas, Australia — specifically Giddey — did just enough in the fourth quarter to avoid any unnecessary stress of an upset loss.

Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Jack White only played the last minute of the game in garbage time as he had two points on 1-of-1 shooting and one rebound.

Let’s look at instant reactions and highlights from Australia’s 20-point win over Japan.