After departure from NBA, NBL Canada, Royce White remains mental health trailblazer
MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - Things haven't always been easy for Royce White.
He was one of the top prospects from Minnesota ever to be drafted into the NBA, landing as a first-round pick with the Houston Rockets in 2012, but has dealt with anxiety and publicly pushed the league to better deal with mental illness and the stigma surrounding those who suffer from it.
White ultimately moved on from the NBA to focus on his overall health and just finished 18 months with the London Lightning in the National Basketball League of Canada. It was a decision that came five years before players like Kevin Love and Demar Derozen came forward to share their respective struggles with anxiety and depression, making White a trailblazer on the issue before it was given a cultural spotlight.
Returning to Minnesota a week and a half ago, White had some time to reflect on what he's accomplished with respect to mental health in professional athletics, talking with Fox 9's Iris Perez about life, basketball and what the future holds for the 27-year-old and his family.