Last spring, Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal roasted Derrick White.

Tuesday night, the TD Garden crowd chanted White’s name in unison as if he was hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy at mid-court.

White’s lack of hairline/abundance of forehead was the subject of ridicule on TNT’s “Inside the NBA” after Boston’s first-round Game 2 victory over the Hawks on April 18, 2023.

That roast avoided profanity and vulgarity. There were no jokes about ju-jitsu instructors, bitcoin or Aaron Hernandez. Only G-rated jabs.

The Big Aristotle and Sir Charles got a little giddy in the 1 a.m. hour after watching highlights of White’s 26-point performance in that 119-109 win a year ago.

Ernie Johnson and Kenny Smith tried to talk basketball. They were smothered by Barkley’s barbs and Shaq’s inability to control himself in the wee hours on the East Coast.

“Is that Derrick White or Stephen A. (Smith)?” Barkley said over an image of White from his post-game press conference. “That dude does ‘First Take’ in the morning and plays for the Celtics.”

“Do you know the crazy part about that?” Smith asked Johnson (about White’s game).

“He combed it like that,” interjected Barkley. “That’s the crazy part.”

As Smith tried to talk about Malcolm Brogdon (rest in peace), Shaq crooned in his best Barry White voice: “You’ll never find … bom … bom … bom … bom … a hairline like mine.”

“Hey man,” Barkley said to his other co-hosts, “y’all acting like you didn’t notice that.”

“Y’all acting like you’ve never seen Derrick White in your life,” Smith replied.

“I never seen it like that,” was Barkley’s retort. “He always had a headband on. We’ll see you and your forehead in the Eastern Conference finals.”

“Don’t be mad, D-White,” begged Johnson.

Barkley soon got a text message from Smith. “Do not repeat what Steven A. texted,” Johnson implored.

White’s hair – or what was left of it – was long ago shorn by Tuesday. He’s become an anti-Sampson. Losing his locks to unlock newfound strength and ability.

White discovered the beauty of baldness in the offseason. “Trying something new,” White said when asked about his new coif-less bean at Celtics media day in October.

Hair or no hair, White’s been a shining star for the Celtics this season. He has yet to slow down since his game-six-clinching put-back against the Heat in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals.

The Celtics choked out last season in rallying down from 0-3 to Miami only to set up another Garden Game 7 heartbreak. But White was the only fully consistent player on that team, regardless of his role.

That rolled into this season. White never seems to have an off night. It helps that his role isn’t clearly defined. That’s also the splendor of it.

He’s what the Celtics need when they need it.

White started all 73 regular season games in which he played. He generated 15.2 points and 5.2 assists while averaging 32.6 minutes. More importantly for Joe Mazzulla’s “Shoot-First, Make Excuses Later” Celtics, White hit 39.6% of his 3-point attempts. That’s his best single-season number since his 17 games as a rookie. White’s 3-point percentage was second-best on these Celtics for anyone who averaged more than 30 minutes, only behind Jrue Holiday.

White replaced Marcus Smart at the “open guy” whenever defenses are fully fixated on Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown.

The difference is that White makes so many of the shots that Smart bricked.

White is quietly becoming “the player you want to take the last shot.” Sort of like John Paxson to Michael Jordan. Or Dennis Johnson to Bird, McHale and Parish. Or Ray Allen (also bald) to Pierce and KG. According to Boston Sports Info, White has now made the most 3-pointers over any six-game span in Celtics history. Allen held the mark of 27 in 2009.

White poured in 25 points Tuesday night, hitting 7 of his 12 3-point attempts. His fifth 3-pointer of the night stifled the Cavs’ last hope to make the game competitive. It put the Celtics up 71-57 with 8:48 to play in the third. Boston and the clock stopped at 120-95.

Only three other players have made 20-or-more threes over a three-game span in the playoffs: Jamal Murray (who shares the record with White at 22), Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.

“Hell of a (group of) players,” White said post-game when altered to the feat. “Just taking what the defense gave me.”

His Celtics teammates, Tatum in particular, remain too mercurial when it comes to talent and temperament. White’s mood is chill. His face is that of an assassin, serial killer, or tax collector. Too bad his unflappable nature, especially with officials, isn’t contagious within the Celtics locker room.

White doesn’t waste words. His answers are clipped but clear.

He told NBC Sports Boston’s Abby Chin “we’ve got to be better” after the Game 1 snoozer.

When pressed for specifics, White was ready: “Transition. Giving them easy looks. Losing matchups. Stuff like that. It can’t happen at this level.”

On “Inside the NBA” Tuesday night, Barkley was “bored” with the Celtics. He was far more excited about a four-leg FanDuel-sponsored parlay that cashed.

Shaq called White “one of the others” necessary for any team that wants to win a championship. Shaq said White must be a main man, even without his mane, if the Celtics hope to procure Banner 18 in June.

“He reminds me of Big Shot Bob (Robert Horry) or Rick Fox,” Shaq said of White, “a guy that does his job and plays his role. But when you need him, especially to get a big bucket, he will always be there.”

The rest of the Celtics would be wise to follow.

Bill Speros is (barely) holding on to his hairline. He can be reached at bsperos1@gmail.com and at @BillSperos and @RealOBF on X.