Royce White Would Play for Free Next Season in Wake of Mental Health Discussion
Former NBA first-round draft pick Royce White said Tuesday that he would play for free next season if given the opportunity.
On Twitter, White added that he is ready for another chance "now that this mental health discussion is pretty much clearing itself up."
The Houston Rockets selected White with the No. 16 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, but he appeared in just three career regular-season games.
White suffers from anxiety and a fear of flying, which contributed to his initial NBA tenure getting cut short.
The 27-year-old White has spent the past two seasons playing for the London Lightning in the National Basketball League of Canada.
In 2016-2017, White won a championship with London and was named the NBL Canada MVP after averaging 20.9 points, 10.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
White also put up 25.4 points, 9.2 rebounds and 5.9 assists per contest in 2017-18, but he was suspended 11 games for a verbal altercation with the league's deputy commissioner.
The former Iowa State standout appeared in 20 NBA D-League (now known as the G League) games between the 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons, but he never played a regular-season game for the Rockets before they traded him to the Philadelphia 76ers.
White failed to make the Sixers' roster, but he did appear in three regular-season contests for the Sacramento Kings in 2013-14.
His last taste of NBA action came in 2015, when he was part of the Los Angeles Clippers' Orlando Summer League roster.
Collegiately, White was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and a member of the All-Big 12 First Team in 2012 when he put up 13.4 points, 9.3 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game for the Cyclones.
