The NBA’s most popular players are getting old and soon the names on everyone’s lips will be the players who are currently young and unknown in the sport. One of those players is Okaro White, an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA) who first gained attention when he played college basketball for Florida State.
Who is Okaro White?
Okaro White was born on the 13th of August, 1992 in Brooklyn, New York. The basketballer is the youngest of three children. The athletic genes run in his family; his mother, Charmaine White previously ran for the Jamaican national track team.
The athlete has spent his life dedicated to different sports with basketball eventually becoming one he made a career out of. As a teen, Okaro played football and ran track. In his high school, Clearwater High School, the kid was named Pinellas County’s Basketball Player of the Year. He then moved to play college basketball at Florida State after receiving scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia Tech, Indiana, Clemson, and Miami.
When it comes to basketball, He certainly looks the part. Standing at 6ft and 8 inches tall and weighing 93kg, Okaro is certainly a man with the build and physical appearance to pursue a sport like basketball which has high demands on a player’s physical attributes.
His short career has already seen him play in Italy, Greece, and in the United States where he has played for the Miami Heat, Cleveland Cavaliers and currently is on the roster of San Antonio Spurs.
Six Facts About The Basketball Player
1. He Grew Five And A Half Inch In One Summer
We all have that summer where our body changed and we had to get familiar with the new person in the mirror. For many of us, those changes did not occur rapidly enough that we became completely different people overnight. However, that isn’t the case of Okaro White. In the eighth grade, he experienced a growth spurt that saw him grow five-and-a-half inches in one summer.
2. He Comes From Sporty Family
If you are going to become a player in one of the most physically demanding sports in the world, it helps to come from a family with an athletic history. Okaro is one of the lucky few. As previously mentioned, the athlete’s mother ran track for the Jamaican National Team. If you are familiar with the Jamaican track and field team or ever watched an Olympic race event, you would understand how competitive the Jamaican National Team is and his mom running for the National Team officially makes her a badass.
3. A Big Fan Of Spaghetti
If Okaro White lives up to his potential and becomes one of the NBA’s biggest athletes, it might be handy information to have for trivia game nights that his favorite food is Spaghetti. More specifically, ‘sweet spaghetti’ which is spaghetti but with plenty of sugar in it. I suppose if you are an athlete who burns off a lot of calories, indulging in guilty pleasures such as this has few consequences.
4. Once Played As A Quarterback
Having mentioned earlier that the baller comes from a family of sports, it is no surprise that he tried his hands at a few other sports before his body and passion landed him in Basketball. Okaro played football at the high school level, as a quarterback, and in the free safety positions. The quarterback position would certainly have helped his vision, passing, and ability to read a game. All skills are necessary for succeeding in the high-speed game of basketball.
5. He Would Have Been A Customs Officer
Okaro White acknowledged in 2007 that if he weren’t playing basketball, he would love to be a Customs officer, working along the Canadian border. When asked about such a specific and unique choice, he credits his choice to his TV interests. A big CSI fan, Okaro said it inspired him to choose Criminology and Social Science as his major in college.
6. He Is Very Energetic
Probably down to the years of eating sweet spaghetti or having a childhood of intense participation in sports, Okaro White is a very energetic player. This helps him excel in high-tempo games. His athleticism and height allow him to get up and down the floor like a guard. Certainly, if basketball didn’t work out, he would have been a more than competent Customs officer.
