Royce White, Rockets at odds over playing time, White’s anxiety

Royce White recently made a surprising announcement they he will leave the Houston Rockets’ NBA Developmental League affiliate in Rio Grande Valley, sit out the remainder of the season and return to the city of Houston to prepare for a comeback next year. White and the Rockets had worked hard to set up treatment plan to deal with his anxiety disorder, fear of flying, and other mental health issues, but with the announcement his season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers abruptly came to an end after just 12 games.

For those wondering why he left the Developmental League squad, the No. 16 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft told CNN that he did so based on the opinion of a team physician, who deemed his return to Houston to be the most logical treatment option.

Sports Illustrated also obtained copies of a letter that Houston General Manager Daryl Morey sent to White following the rookie’s refusal to show up to practices. In the letter, Morey writes that White admitted to misleading the team about his fear of flying being an issue. It also discusses some of the help the Rockets provided White, including flying him with player personnel and doctor referrals.

White maintained that he had a medical reason for every missed practice, and he said that his anxiety issues were similar to a physical ailment such as a broken ankle or toe.

White has been at odds with the Rockets all season over how they have handled his anxiety disorder. He recently refused an assignment to the D-League, leading to a suspension on Sunday.

White has reportedly told the Rockets that he will not show up for work unless the special agreement is signed by all parties, however, such an agreement is banned under the current collective bargaining agreement:

“The Houston Rockets have suspended Royce White immediately for refusing to provide services as required by his Uniform Player Contract,” Morey said. “We will continue to work with Royce to hopefully come to a resolution.”

White, the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, suffers from an anxiety disorder and has been critical of how the Rockets have dealt with his condition. He recently discussed his condition at length on Sirius XM’s ‘Off the Dribble’ show. After the suspension, White vented his frustrations on Twitter.

White cited in the statement that returning to the court would be “unsafe,” due to “unqualified” team officials making decisions on the mental health of players. The Rockets made the decision to reassign White to the Rio Grande Vipers on Saturday in an attempt to “work him back into the organization,” a source told TNT’s David Aldridge.

White, the No. 16 pick in the 2012 NBA Draft out of Iowa State, has yet to see the floor this season while dealing with anxiety issues. While at Iowa State, White averaged 13.4 points and 9.3 rebounds per game in his lone season with the Cyclones. Prior to that, White attended the University of Minnesota, but two separate legal incidents led to his departure from the school in 2010.

White apparently disagrees.

It goes on and on like that. Twenty-seven tweets at Woj in one hour, and he’s still going as we publish this. He’s taken exception to a few specific lines from the Yahoo! piece, but is primarily railing on the writer. But it’s all a sideshow, because this isn’t driving real talk about the issue at hand, which is what accommodations should employers make for employees with mental illness. Yelling at someone who peeks into the situation as a part of their job doesn’t help further that important conversation.

However, despite the turmoil, Houston reportedly has no interest in releasing White after sending him down to their D-League affiliate earlier in the week.

White was one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft, a do-everything 6’8, 270-pounder who lead his Iowa State team in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks. But concerns about his difficulties with anxiety, which make flying difficult for him, sent him sliding out of the lottery.

According to Feigen, the Rockets have arranged for White to see the therapist, but White has not attended. White responded by posting a picture of the email exchange he had with the therapist on Twitter. Here’s a photo:

White deleted the tweet, but it was preserved by user @PHABMK6, among others. White did leave up a number of other tweets that he put out there to contest the claim made in the Houston Chronicle article.

White is currently battling an anxiety disorder that, among other things, prevents him from flying. He doesn’t think the team is doing enough to support him while he’s battling his anxiety issues, and he believes it is using the issues against him to deny him the opportunity to play. White has yet to appear in a game for the Rockets this season, and he has been inactive for the past four.

Houston general manager Daryl Morey announced that the team was sending White down to the Rockets’ D-League affiliate but hasn’t met with him yet. The team has arranged for White to begin treatment with a doctor at the Baylor College of Medicine, but he has not attended any of those sessions.

From ClutchFans:

The 21-year-old White was given a significant vote of confidence by the Rockets after being selected with the 16th overall pick in June, but it’s clear things have fallen apart in a matter of months. His no-show at the team’s Tuesday practice may very well have been the last straw, however, especially after he was already set to be sent to the NBA Developmental League along with two other Rockets players.

The rookie did not join the Rockets when training camp opened a week ago, with concerns over the execution of his plans to keep his anxiety at bay. After meeting with the Rockets several times, White released very positive statements via his publicist and on Twitter indicating that he and the team were being “proactive” so that problems don’t arise in the future.

Four days ago, the Rockets and White came to an agreement that would allow the 6’8” forward to travel by bus to certain games, which are assumed to be closer games at Dallas, San Antonio, and New Orleans.

The agreement is pending league and NBA Players Association approval, standard protocol for changes in a player’s contract.

The cost of the bus will be furnished by White.

White said that he will buy and furnish the bus to make it “feel like home so that there’s a level of consistency in a job where inconsistency is very apparent.” White’s anxiety disorder is aggravated by flying.

In a statement released Wednesday, White said that he wants to work out a long-term plan with the Rockets that will address his mental health issues and “support a healthy work environment.” Rockets GM Daryl Morey has already expressed the team’s long-term support for White as he adjusts to life in the NBA.

White is a supremely talented player, which he proved during his time at Iowa State, but he also suffers from a well-documented anxiety disorder that includes a fear of flying. The Rockets opened camp on Oct. 2, and general manager Daryl Morey has extended his unconditional support to his rookie forward from the moment it was announced that White would miss the open of training camp activities.

White, 21, suffers from anxiety disorder. Among his particular issues is a fear of flying.

I feel an affinity for White not only because I admire his unique skillset, but also because I too suffer from anxiety disorder, in addition to clinical depression. It surprises and alarms me that he was unable to attend the first day of Houston’s training camp due to a personal matter, but the fact that Rockets GM Daryl Morey offered his unconditional support for the rookie comforts me.

The No. 16 overall pick in June’s 2012 NBA Draft, many of White’s problems can be traced to a number of anxiety issues the talented forward has dealt with since he was a young child. Though he appeared to turn a corner after transferring colleges from Minnesota to Iowa State before flourishing on a national stage with the Cyclones, it’s clear that White and the organization will need some time to sort things out in the coming days.

Jonathan Feign of the Houston Chronicle reports that Head Coach Kevin McHale has “no idea” when White will join the team.

White told Mark Berman of Fox 26 Sports that the personal matter is related to his previously well documented bouts with anxiety: