Coby White leads Charlotte: "God has a plan"
He signs a three-year, $74 million deal and takes over as starter after LaMelo Ball's departure.
"If someone had told me two years ago that I'd be here, I wouldn't believe it," said Coby White (Sígueme translation). At 26, he runs the Charlotte Hornets and says that "God has a plan," according to Sports Spectrum.
On Monday, at the team's media day, the point guard spoke about his faith without beating around the bush: he declares himself a believer in Christ and believes God has a plan for his career. He also said being in this moment is a blessing.
Five years before the job
White didn't reach the starting role through a shortcut. He was the seventh pick in the 2019 draft, chosen by the Chicago Bulls. In the 2024-25 season he averaged 20.4 points, his best mark as a pro. But Chicago was piling up another losing season and, in February 2026, traded him to Charlotte.
«God's sovereignty isn't always seen in a quick rise.»
With the Hornets he played 21 games and averaged 15.6 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists. It was enough for him to feel comfortable and sign again: three years and $74 million. Now he takes over as starting point guard after LaMelo Ball's trade to Minnesota.
In April 2025 he had already told NBA.com that in his first four or five years he felt God was maturing him, that he needed to learn more. Far from complaining, he said he wanted to stay patient and keep working every day.
That's the point. God's sovereignty isn't always seen in a quick rise.
The dad who prayed on his knees
White grew up in Wilson, North Carolina. He himself has said it was one of the poorest cities in the state. His father, Donald, worked in a factory in Goldsboro and died of liver cancer in 2017, when he was 65.
White recalls that his dad knelt every night to pray out loud, never missing a single one. He grew up watching that, he says, and children end up learning what their parents do. His family taught him to lead with love and to put God first.
The $74 million contract is not a certificate that God rewarded his faith. It's a work agreement. What White does affirm is something else: that God sustained his patience in the years when nothing seemed to move.
"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps" (Proverbs 16:9, ESV).
Leading off the court too
White doesn't keep his faith for the locker room. His family foundation offers comprehensive mental health support and scholarships for young Black and Brown people and families. It also organizes basketball camps and provides mentoring, financial education and nutrition classes.
The foundation is guided by Luke 12:48: "Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required" (Luke 12:48, ESV).
Charlotte comes off playing the Play-In: it won a game against Miami and lost to Orlando. The team hasn't reached the playoffs since the 2015-16 season. Preseason starts October 6 against Brooklyn, and the regular season on the 21st, also against the Nets.
He knows the responsibility is big. He says he's ready mentally, physically and spiritually, and that he can't say how the path will go, but that he's eager to see it.
That's what faith offers when the wait drags on: not a guarantee of results, but a person to trust while you work. If today you're in a season where nothing is moving forward, choose one single thing that does depend on you —studying, training, asking for help, serving someone— and do it this week. What do you do while you wait?
