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Derrick White debuted his fixed smile at Celtics victory parade

Celtics players interviewed before parade send-off
Celtics players interviewed before parade send-off 09:32

BOSTON -- Derrick White needed some dental work ahead of the Celtics victory parade through Boston. But the C's guard was happy to show all of Boston his new smile from his duck boat on Friday.

White was all smiles as he and the 2024 NBA champion Celtics paraded through Boston on Friday morning, celebrating their title over the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics won Game 5 over the Mavs back on Monday, but had to wait until Friday for their victory parade due in large part to the heatwave that struck Boston this week.

But that gave White some time to fix his broken smile ahead of Friday's parade. He told NBC Sports Boston's Abby Chin that he was in the dentist's chair for two hours, and then had to go back for another hour to repair the teeth he damaged during Game 5. And that was just for a temporary fix ahead of the parade, so there is still more dental work in White's near future.

"Shout out to Boston Dental, y'all are clutch," said White.

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Derrick White of the Celtics during the 2024 championship parade through Boston. Billie Weiss / Getty Images

White chipped one tooth and had two other loose teeth after he had his face driven into the floor at TD Garden in the second quarter of Monday night's Game 5. White went diving for a loose ball when Mavericks center Dereck Lively II fell on him, sending White's face right into the parquet floor.

White was bloodied and a bit stunned, but still managed to get the ball to Jaylen Brown for an easy layup. A few plays later, White drained a three for Boston, part of his 14-point evening in Boston's title-clinching win.

After the Game 5 victory, White said that he had no regrets.

"I'd lose all my teeth for a championship," he said.

Thankfully for White it didn't come to that, and he was able to get his smile fixed ahead of Friday's big celebration.

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