Former First Rounder Royce White On NBA Handling Mental Health: ‘F**k The NBA’
Former Iowa State standout and first-round draft pick Royce White had a promising ahead of him before mental health problems ultimately forced him out of the league.
Selected by the Houston Rockets as the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, White’s NBA career started with issues when he tried to make special accommodations to handle his general anxiety disorder; the six-foot-eight, 260-pound forward requested to travel by bus during certain extended road trips because airplane rides trigger his disorder.
As White explained to ESPN in 2012, he was willing to pay for the bus and assume all liability. He also addressed his demands — despite his mental issues — as requesting preferential treatment.
