The last time we heard from Royce White, he was quietly attempting to salvage his rookie season in the D-League after being suspended by the Rockets in January. White had then just finally accepted the D-League assignment after an extended "holdout" resulting from his perception that the team and league did not have sufficient support in place for players suffering from mental illness.
That silence has officially ended. In a video interview with the Huffington Post, White said that he thinks the NBA and the Rockets would prefer if he just went away, citing his independent voice and his commitment to improving the way NBA handles players with mental health issues. Here is a sizeable chunk of White's comments, courtesy of Ben Golliver at Sports Ilustrated:
“I went through the bumps and bruises of having to advocate for myself against a billion-dollar corporation. Other than that, I think I’ve actually been successful, if you look at the rate of success, or what could have went wrong. I could have easily been out of the league or blackballed or things like that. But that hasn’t happened yet…
“I’m a problem because I’m not afraid to say what I think and I’m not afraid to stand alone. Even amongst the NBA community, the players, the union, the NBA office, and [commissioner] David Stern and [deputy commissioner] Adam Silver. I’m not afraid to stand alone in my own circle, and say, hey listen, you guys aren’t respecting mental health…
“If I was to make an educated guess, I would guess that Adam Silver and David Stern and the Rockets organization, some other owners in the league, GMs, want me gone. And why do they want me gone? Because business is about convenience, it’s not about doing what’s necessary, right? It’s about cutting overhead… Being efficient. And a lot of times, what’s best for us as human beings doesn’t meet that criteria for business people.”
What happens with White now is anyone's guess, but it is probably safe to say that neither the Rockets nor the NBA will appreciate these comments. As Golliver points out, the Rockets have already expressed plenty of frustration with their rookie. We will be certain to keep an eye on this story, as there is sure to be some sort of fallout or reaction from the Rockets or the NBA.
Do they want you gone? No they want you to shutup and play. But… you are about to give them what you think they want.
Royce White loves him some Royce White. If this guy had an ounce of dedication to the game of basketball, he’d be on the Rockets’ roster right now.
The thing that bugs me most about this kid, if he had any dedication or love for the game, he would have been training all season when he said his anxiety was too high for him to travel. He’s putting up not so good numbers against guys that are downright better than him in the DLeague, who are hungrier and more dedicated than he is.
“The Rockets Organization want me gone”… You mean the same team that’s been paying you, accommodating your every wish and need, and helping you throughout this whole process? Get a clue Royce. They easily could have terminated your contract by you not showing up to do your job but nope, they stuck it out.
Royce really needs to get over himself, i’m sure the Shanghai Sharks or some other overseas team would be realllllly supportive of all these issues you have. oh wait, your scared to fly, so that option is out the window. The worst part is that hes taking a roster spot from someone that would die to have it. Play ball or sit down and shut it!
This guy is an idiot and he thinks he deserves to be a NBA player.