Bulls Guard Coby White Targeting Mid-November Return From Calf Strain
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Chicago Bulls guard Coby White, sidelined since mid-August with a right calf strain, is on track to make his season debut during the club’s three-game road trip that opens Nov. 16, or shortly thereafter against the Denver Nuggets or Portland Trail Blazers, according to The Athletic’s Joel Lorenzi.
Head coach Billy Donovan said White is expected to join full-contact practices during Chicago’s three-day break that begins Nov. 13. The 24-year-old has already resumed on-court work, playing 2-on-2 and 3-on-3 with player-development staff and select teammates.
White initially hoped to return before the regular-season opener, but lingering calf tightness prompted the team to delay his timetable. “I probably practiced a little too long and felt some symptoms,” he explained, calling it a “minor setback” rather than a re-strain.
Productive Season Before Injury
In 74 games last year, the former North Carolina standout averaged a career-best 20.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 4.5 assists in 33.1 minutes while shooting 45.3% from the field and 37% from three-point range. He earned Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors in March after posting 27.7 points per game, highlighted by three straight 35-plus outings and a career-high 44-point performance at Orlando on March 6.
White finished second to Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey in 2023-24 Most Improved Player voting following a then-career-high 19.1 points the previous season.
Contract Status
The seventh-year pro is in the final season of a three-year, $36 million contract that includes nearly $4 million in incentives. He will earn $12.88 million this season and is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
Source: Basketball Insiders
