Royce White could be one of the most talented players in the NBA, but no one will ever know if that statement is true until he sets foot on the court.
White was drafted as a first round pick by the Houston Rockets last year, but he has not played for the team in the regular season due to a health dispute regarding his mental health and safety. A Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel video segment featuring White will air on Tuesday night on HBO and will detail his struggles to get to the court.
According to SI.com, the website received and advanced copy of the 16-minute feature and said that it includes an on-camera interview with Bernard Goldberg, as well as a five-page letter sent to White by Rockets GM Daryl Morey in November, and a portion of a mental health protocol that White and his doctor drafted and want inserted into his contract.
White was the No. 16 pick for the Rockets in the 2012 NBA draft, but has not played this season due to issues regarding the treatment of his mental health. According to SI.com, White suffers from "Generalized Anxiety Disorder, panic attacks, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and a fear of flying."
The Rockets knew about the mental health issues with White when they drafted him, but said at the time they could work something out. The two worked on a "good faith deal" to try and help with his travel issues by having White go to games by bus when he could, but that did not materialize.
Click HERE for details on the HBO Special.
Soon enough, White stopped showing up to practices and games in November and late decided to refuse an assignment to the teams D-League affiliate at Rio Grande Valley. In January, the Rockets suspended White for "refusing to provide services."
"I have chosen to not play, because the doctors and I believe it to be unsafe for unqualified Rockets front office personnel to make medical decisions, as they are not mental health professionals," he said at the time.
White has given a few interviews recently and spoke about the issues regarding him playing for the Rockets. He said that team management was "unqualified" to make determinations about his health because they are not mental health professionals and that they have not supported him like they said they would. The Rockets publicly have said that they want to work with him to get him onto the team.
"The reality is that it is not Houston's fault," White said on SiriusXM's "Off the Dribble" show, according to ESPN.com. "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."
The Rockets took a chance on White, seeing a good deal of potential in the forward who averaged 13 points, five assists and nine rebounds in his one year at Iowa State.
"Here's how it goes," White said earlier this year to ESPN.com. "I'm scared (going) to the airport, I'm scared going up, I'm uncomfortable in the air and I feel like a million bucks when we hit the runway."
Earlier this season, White said he is not seeking a trade from the team and that the issues aren't singular to the Rockets. He explained that the NBA does not have a standard procedure for dealing with mental health, leaving himself and the Rockets to figure things out as they go.
"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."
White spoke about the issues with HBO, and put them in stark terms in regards to his health.
"If I was an NBA player now without the protocols and safety measures," he said, "I would be risking my health, risking my life. What comes along with mental health if left untreated? Alcohol abuse, marijuana abuse, suicidal behavior, homicidal behavior, those are things I'm not willing to risk to play basketball, to have money, to have fame. That's it," White said in the feature.
According to SI.com: He also stated that he understood that his hard-line position, which includes adding language to his contract, could cost him his NBA career.
"Yes," he said, acknowledging that he might never play in the NBA. "But I'm not going to accept it without a fight."
SI.com also published an excerpt of a letter from Morey to White in November.
Here's the excerpt of the letter.
"This seems to be a good time for us to step back and think about some of the issues that we have been dealing with over the past few months. As we have told you repeatedly, our goals are for you to be fully integrated into the Team and to have a healthy and productive season, both on and off the court. We have been committed to these goals from the day we drafted you, and have acted consistently with those goals ever since. We have bent over backwards to accommodate your requests and help you meet these goals. At our meeting yesterday, I spent significant time addressing your frustrations. I would like to take this opportunity to further explain how your actions and the changing nature of your explanations for your actions has frustrated our attempts to help you meet your goals. The bottom line is that we remain willing to work with you on issues that arise from legitimate medical need, but you have to come to games, practice and everything else that you are able to do, just like any other player."
"To revisit from the beginning, before we drafted you, you told us that your fear of flying was not an issue and that you were ready to be an NBA player. Shortly after we drafted you, you apologized for having to mislead us. You later indicated that you were feeling anxious about flying to the NBA's rookie orientation program this summer. When you missed your scheduled flight, we arranged for a later flight and for Matt Brase to travel with you, working with the NBA to accommodate your concerns. Shortly after that, we informed you that we thought it would be beneficial for you to meet with Dr. Aaron Fink, a world-renowned psychiatrist, who could provide you with access to an appropriate professional in Houston to help should any situations arise. We gave you Dr. Fink's contact information and several available times for an interview."
White did not say that everything was on the fault of the Rockets and that he did miss some practices and other team functions.
"I have not always showed up for practice, but every time I didn't show up for practice, there was a medical reason," he said. "Some player doesn't show up for practice because of his knee, they say he didn't show up to practice because of his knee. [In my case,] they just say he didn't show up for practice [and it sounds like] it's your fault."
More excerpts from the special included: Prompted by Goldberg that perhaps many people "wouldn't want to hear" about an anxiety disorder sidelining him, White responded: "I'm sure they wouldn't want to hear that James Harden broke his ankle either, but there's a health reality that exists."
He continued: "If your orthopedist says Royce's left toe has a crack in it, he shouldn't run or jump against the Lakers tonight, you can't run or jump against the Lakers tonight. The only difference is you can't see mine. There's no swelling, so to speak. It's not purple."
The solution to this dilemma, White believes, is "a medical point person who will remain neutral and keep the interests in health," a medical professional who would have the ultimate authority, even over Rockets managements and coaches, to determine whether he is fit to play.
White said that he worked on a mental health protocol that could be inserted into his contract to help with treatments.
From SI.com: "In order for the working conditions to be safe and healthy for someone with mental illness/disability, it is the belief of the medical experts and myself credited for this document that a protocol has to be developed on how to appropriately deal with an individual in respect to mental illness(s)/disabilities from an operational and medical standpoint. A protocol will not only ensure the safe and healthy work conditions for a player like myself with mental illness, but also will lend a system of accountability for both the team and I to use to base what is the appropriate route of action."
"Due to the lack of protocol regarding mental illness, this agreed upon document will serve as an addendum to insert into the medical category of the contract and team rules. Acknowledgment: Acknowledging mental illness/disability as being in the category of medical condition."
White has spoken about his mental health before, but the video in the feature shows it explicitly.
"My hangers are spaced immaculately, all my suits are facing the same way," he explains on the tape. "The item in here of all my clothes and belongings that gives the most anxiety for me is these hats. They're easily misplaced, displaced. It's a round shape on a square hook. Geometrically it messes with me, which is why I'm very careful when I pull them out of the closet. I don't want to have to spend 20 minutes having to fix it. I'd prefer if you don't [touch them]."
He also spoke about his fear of planes, saying they are a "steel death trap," as well as his fears of flying.
"I get nervous when people talk about planes," he says. "Realistically, right now I am nervous talking about it. You ever had butterflies for a long, long time? It starts to build up. Then the other things come, sweaty palms, faster heartbeat, throwing up, almost feeling like I'm going to pass out from being light-headed has come before. All of these things happen before I even get to the airport."
Earlier in his college career, White dealt with some other issues before settling at Iowa State, where he impressively led the team in points (13.4), rebounding (9.3), assists (5.0), steals (1.1) and blocks (0.9).
Footage of White in college is shown during the feature, including a game during the 2012 NCAA tournament where he played against University of Kentucky and eventual No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis. According to SI.com: "Kentucky beat Iowa State 87-71 before proceeding to win the tournament. White finished with 23 points, nine rebounds, four assists, three steals and one block in 34 minutes. Davis finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in 40 minutes."
"I said I'm the best player in the country," White remembers. "I knew that at the time. I abused [Davis] all game. I didn't just dunk on him, I abused their whole team all game."
One of the biggest messages White hopes to send to the Rockets and the NBA is that his issues should be seen beyond just basketball:
From SI.com:
"Why does my worth need to be measured by how many rebounds I've clocked? I'm saying something true, why does it need a rebound accompanying it?"
Because you're a basketball player, Goldberg says, supplying the obvious counterargument.
"I'm a human being," White replies immediately. "That's it."
White is a talented star, but will need support to have any type of NBA career. White has the potential to be a great player, but he has to find a way to get out on the court first.
