No Turning Back : Ex-Clipper White Says He’ll Take European Basketball Over NBA, Any Time

His back yard is practically in the National Basketball Assn.’s back yard. Rory White’s new home in Inglewood is just a couple of blocks and a fast break away from the Forum, home of the NBA champion Lakers.

But to White, the NBA might just as well be 5,000 miles away.

Last season, it was. White was the second-leading scorer in Spain, averaging 29 points per game playing in Madrid for the club Bancobao.

Having spent five years in the NBA, including three frustrating seasons with the Clippers, White says he has no plans to return. Next season, the 28-year-old White is planning on playing in Italy. He says a deal is in the works.

The 6-foot 8-inch, 210-pound forward prefers basketball European style. Unlike many Americans playing overseas, White isn’t looking to return to the NBA. Some clubs have shown an interest in White, but White says he’s not interested. He has had enough of the NBA.

“Right now I can still play in the NBA, but my decision is to stay in Europe,” White said. “I don’t see myself thinking about the NBA again.”

White’s bitterness toward the NBA comes from his dealings with the Clippers. White says he didn’t get the respect he deserved, from the team that has had trouble getting a little respect itself.

“I had played so well and gave it my best,” White said. “For them not to give me the respect I deserved made me lose all respect for them. . . . I got fed up with it.”

Elgin Baylor, executive vice president and general manager of the Clippers, said the club made White an offer after the 1986-87 season, and White turned it down. According to White, the Clippers made no offer and let him go.

“What he (Baylor) told you is not the truth,” White said. “An offer was not made. They decided not to pick up my contract. I was actually in the office when the decision was made, and nothing was said to me. I found out about it in the next morning’s paper.

“I was not treated fairly, and that’s a big reason behind my decision to play in Europe.”

Baylor said it was White’s decision not to return to the Clippers. Also, Baylor wasn’t overly impressed by White’s accomplishment in Spain.

“A lot of players have gone to Europe and averaged a lot of points,” Baylor said. “It doesn’t mean anything. Nothing against Rory, and I don’t want to say anything negative about him, but Europe has always been a place where a lot of people who can’t play in the NBA go.

“A lot of players are scoring a lot of points over there. I don’t know how you can compare Europe with the NBA. It’s like night and day.”

As a part-time starter for the Clippers, White averaged only 8.2 points a game in three seasons. But, in response to Baylor’s comments, White pointed to his statistics when he received a significant amount of playing time. His high game with the Clippers was 32 points.

“I was scoring 25, 30 points when I got adequate playing time,” White said. “For him (Baylor) to make comments like that is unjust. I feel I have proven myself in the NBA and in Europe. I’ve shown my ability in both places.”

Don Chaney, former Clipper coach now with the Houston Rockets, said: “Rory was capable of scoring 40 points a night for me. He’s one guy who, when he gets in a groove, can score a ton of points. I think he can score on anyone with his back to the basket.”

When White turned his back on the NBA, he scored in Europe. In a league dominated by American players, despite league rules allowing just two foreigners per squad, White was a consistent scorer.

But when White said goodby to the NBA, packed his bags and headed to Madrid with his wife, Ruth, and his 2-year-old son, Rory Jr. last year, he was uncertain about his future. As he flew east, he didn’t know if his career was going north or south.

“Taking the flight over there, I thought, ‘What’s going on? What am I getting myself into? What should I expect, and when I get there, what is going to be expected of me?’ But once I got there, I adjusted really well. I can’t think of any problems or bad experiences I had,” White said.

When White talks about his experience in Spain, it sounds as if he’s talking about a great vacation.

Spain gave him everything the NBA couldn’t. Relatively easy, hour-long practices once a day. Games once a week, on Saturdays. Little travel. Holidays off. Time to spend with his family.

The language barrier wasn’t a problem, he says. While his coach didn’t speak English, most of the players did. The lower level of play didn’t frustrate him, either. Basketball is basketball, White says.

“Some (Spanish) players may come up to you and ask just basic, basic questions about the game,” White said. “But it’s not frustrating. They want to learn. They work so hard, and they’re trying. And there are some guys who can really play.”

There was something else the Spanish league gave White that the NBA couldn’t: a salary. A good salary. According to his agent, Warren LeGarie, White’s contract was for around $150,000, and included living accommodations and transportation.

LeGarie, who represents more than 50 players in Europe, says salaries are climbing overseas, and million-dollar contracts are surfacing. He estimates salaries in Spain have increased 100-150% over the past two years, with salaries in Italy up around 60%.

“The clubs are using money as leverage to get players to forget about the glitter and the glamour of the NBA,” LeGarie said. “Marginal players can obtain contract guarantees much easier over there and make a lot more money. More of their expenses are picked up, too. After each season, the players’ accountants tell them to return to Europe.”

For many players, returning to the NBA would not only mean a substantial cut in pay, but an uncertain future as well. LeGarie said some NBA clubs have contacted him about White, including the expansion franchise Charlotte Hornets, but no concrete offers have been made.

White says he would have no trouble getting back into the NBA, and his former coach agrees.

“Without a doubt, he can play in the NBA,” Chaney said. “As a coach, I see him as an excellent backup at the small forward position on a very good basketball team.”

But chances are, Chaney won’t see White in the NBA. White is content with his new life style.

“After dealing with the Clippers, this is a total feeling of relief,” White said. “No pressures, no travel, not worrying about things, it’s amazing.”

But that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some cultural adjustments along the way, such as the siesta time in Spain.

“When I first got there, I was driving down the street at 3 in the afternoon, and it was like a ghost town. Everything’s closed. Nobody’s out. You go in, maybe take a nap, and when you come out, all these people are around. It’s like, where did they come from?”

Born in little Tuskegee, Ala., living in L.A., and working in Europe, White has become somewhat of a world traveler. After Italy, what next?

“Who knows?” White said.