Houston rookie Royce White‘s anxiety issues were well known before he was drafted by the Rockets in June. However, his delayed arrival at training camp because of them became the story of that camp last week, spurring talks of how White, whose fear of flying is exacerbated by anxiety, will travel to away games.
White arrived at practices Monday and mentioned he’d actually stopped by the facility a few days earlier to meet with coaches and catch up on the “five plays” Houston has installed. His teammates are “happy to see me, lotta dap, lotta high fives.”
Since his announcement last week he’d be delaying his arrival, White has opened up a candid discussion of his issues on Twitter. In the video he said it’s been “astronomical the amount of response I’ve had.”
I know everyone thinks this is about basketball…but some things are bigger than basketball, #BiggerThanMe #Awareness
— Royce White (@Highway_30) October 6, 2012
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Before voicing opinion’s about mental illness, obviously educate yourself, even furthermore, Mental Health is so complex, there is NO BOX!
— Royce White (@Highway_30) October 4, 2012
“@abc: NBA’s Royce White Refuse to ✈ But Team abcn.ws/WvvNWT” It’s not so much the object, but the experiences involving the object!
— Royce White (@Highway_30) October 6, 2012
UPDATED, 5:05 p.m.: Clutch Fans also added a video of how White looked in action during his first practice back. The most interesting aspect is how is how, after prodding from the coaches, he leads the break a couple of times before pulling back around the three-point line. Could the big man push the pace this year for the Rockets?
What do you think?
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