Celtics' Luke Kornet Stars in Commercial Mocking Derrick White

Boston Celtics reserve center Luke Kornet recently released a new commercial mercilessly shredding two-time All-Defensive Team Celtics guard Derrick White.

Well, sort of.

Since 2003, NBC Sports Boston has been issuing "Tommy Awards," named after Hall of Fame former Boston forward, coach, and broadcaster Tommy Heinsohn, in tribute to a particular game's Celtics player who went "above and beyond the call of duty, risking life and limb."

Right now, White — an aggressive perimeter of defender who frequently leverages his body to score — leads all his Boston teammates with 15 Tommy Awards.

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Kornet is surprisingly close to White, with 12 such honors. Sixth Man of the Year contender Payton Pritchard has 11, reserve center Al Horford (who's actually a more complete sixth man than Pritchard, but seems unlikely to earn the award for some reason), and Boston's best player, seven-time All-Star power forward Jayson Tatum, has seven.

This sequence by Derrick White was something else 😤

DPOY kind of defense: pic.twitter.com/St7KCtqZye
— Tomek Kordylewski (@Timi_093) May 10, 2024

Three players — centers Kristaps Porzingis and Neemias Queta, and four-time All-Star forward Jaylen Brown — have six apiece. Scrappy rookie Baylor Scheierman, who has already pretty much replaced buyout market signing Torrey Craig in Joe Mazzulla's rotation, has notched four. Six-time All-Defensive Team guard Jrue Holiday and backup wing Sam Hauser each have two. Even a former Celtic guard, Jaden Springer, notched one.

In collaboration with NBC Sports Boston, Kornet crafted a hilarious fake, campaign ad-esque spot making his case for earning the season-long Tommy Award ahead of White. The NBC Sports Boston team even cuts up several interviews with teammates, Mazzulla, and general manager Brad Stevens, to make it seem like they're praising him while throwing White under the bus.

I am absolutely dying at this @NBCSBoston campaign ad for Luke Kornet winning the season-long Tommy Award over Derrick White. Great job! @Max_Lederman - was this your work? pic.twitter.com/yK2b50ZmxR
— Danielle Hobeika (@DanielleHobeika) April 12, 2025

"The Tommy Award, one of our nation's highest honors. And it's going to a guy like Derrick White?" Kornet begins.

Kornet first "attacks" White's relatively taciturn state in an interview, where a reporter calls him "subdued."

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"Subdued? Yikes. The Tommy Award is about energy, honor and valor. Does Derrick White have the endorsement of some of the team's most veteran members, like I do?" Kornet jokingly asks, before we are shown the aforementioned teammates' out-of-context sound bites besmirching White and celebrating Kornet.

It's an incredible faux spot. Maybe Kornet can head to Hollywood when all is said and done.

"Some are saying Luke Kornet is the people's Tommy Award winner," Kornet concludes. "I'm Luke Kornet, and I approve this message."

Given that the 60-21 Celtics have just one game left in their regular season, White has already earned the most such honors this season, and will thus snag the season-long award.

Still, what a campaign from Kornet.

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