Since being drafted by the Houston Rockets in the first-round of last years NBA draft, Royce White has been extremely open about the importance of how he moves forward in treating his anxiety issues. So important in fact, he may never play in the NBA.
I have a lot to say on this matter, as I have been working on an in-depth piece involving mental health in the NBA, and how the league and players union is equipped to deal with these issues. With that said, for the time being I will let Royce’s own words speak for themselves.
“The reality is that it is not Houston’s fault,” White stated on SiriusXM’s “Off the Dribble” show. “As much as we always want to try and blame one side or the other … they’ve been thrown into a position now where they’re forced to make things up as they go because a protocol has not been put in place for mental health up until this point.”
“I don’t really think going to another team is something that would be better,” White told the show. “And it’s not something that I want to do. I want to play for Houston. I love the city of Houston. Since I’ve been here, the fans have been nothing but supportive — that I’ve met in person. Twitter has been different. The fans that I’ve met in person have been supportive. The community here is great. I have a lot of friends that work in the organization, in the building, that aren’t even related to practice or the game, so to speak. So I have no intention or desire to play for another team.”
“There’s no mental health protocol here, for not only the Rockets but the entire league, really. I expressed that that’s really unsafe if you think about it,” he said. “So, basically, I’m fighting to have that rectified. I just don’t think it is OK or responsible or even logical to have GMs or any front office personnel have executive authority in medical situations.”
Check back next week as I along with a mental health professional, will examine this & other issues surounding the state of mental health in the NBA.
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