A timeline of Royce White’s NBA ‘journey’
Earlier today, my co-editor Tom West did a write up on the Clippers offering Royce White space on their 2015 Orlando Summer League team.
A talented combo forward out of Iowa State University, White’s short journey in the NBA was surrounded by a lot of noise as White suffered from mental issues, most notably anxiety disorder. Because of such, White’s time in the NBA was a worldwide, from being drafted in the first round to refusing to ride airplanes to refusing to play in the NBA Developmental League at one point.
Given White could be a low-cost target by Doc Rivers come training camp if White accepts the Clippers’ summer league roster invite and has a solid outing in Orlando, I’ve decided to put together a timeline to run down the most important moments of White’s two years in the league.
June 28, 2012 – the Houston Rockets select F Royce White 16th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft
October 1, 2012 – White misses opening day of training camp
October 4, 2012 – White asks for permission to travel to games by bus due to fear of flying, a side effect of White’s anxiety disorder.
“What it’s going to look like is every game that’s drivable I‘m going to get a bus for myself. And I’m going to make that bus feel like home so that there’s a level of consistency in a job where inconsistency is very apparent because of the schedule. I’m going to try and level that out and make sure that my stress levels stay low and that my rest is regular and that my meals are regular and that as much as I can, draw consistency from a very inconsistent schedule.” – Royce White
October 8, 2012 – White joins Houston Rockets after missing first week of NBA training camp.
“Trying to get back in the swing of things,” White said. “It went as good as it could go.”
October 15, 2012 – White appears in first NBA preseason game in a loss to the Mavericks, finishes with 7 points on (3-of-7 fg), 3 rebounds, 1 block.n
In the 2012 preseason, Royce White averaged 2.2 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.0 assist in four games played
November 11, 2012 – Rockets GM Daryl Morey releases statement stating White is, “not available right now”.
“In hindsight, perhaps it was not a good idea to be open and honest about my anxiety disorder — due to the current situations at hand that involve the nature of actions from the Houston Rockets. As a rookie, I want to settle into a team and make progress, but since [the] preseason, the Rockets have been inconsistent with their agreement to proactively create a healthy and successful relationship.” – Royce White
December 29, 2012 – Rockets assign White to Rio Grand Valley Vipers D-League team.
December 30, 2012 – White refuses participation with Rio Grand Valley Vipers.
January 5, 2013 – White says he may never play in NBA game, blames NBA for lack of protocol on mental health issues.
January 6, 2013 – Rockets suspend White indefinitely from team without pay for “refusing to provide services as required by his Uniform Player Contract.”
February 8, 2013 – White passes physical, returns to D-League.
February 12, 2013 – White makes NBA D-League debut with Grand Valley Rapids, finishing with 7 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists in win over Maine Red Claws.
March 21, 2013 – White announces via Twitter leave from Rio Grand Valley Rapids.
In 16 games with the RGV Vipers, White averaged 11.4 points on 44% shooting, 5.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 0.9 steals in 25.5 minutes per contest.
July 3, 2013 – Rockets omit White’s name from Summer League roster.
July 13, 2013 – White (with Furkan Aldemir and cash) is traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for a future draft pick.
October 25, 2013 – White is waived by the 76ers.
January 30, 2014 – Rockets GM Daryl Morey says White is arguably the worst first-round pick in NBA history.
“I take some sort of pride in that you could argue that Royce White is the worst first-round pick ever.” – Daryl Morey
March 6, 2014 – White signs 10-day deal with Sacramento Kings and is assigned to Reno Bighorns (D-League).
March 7, 2014 – White makes team debut with Bighorns, records 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals in win.
In four-game stint with the Reno Bighorns, White averaged 8.6 points on 36% shooting, 4.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1.5 steals in 24.7 minutes per contest — the Bighorns went 2-2 in span.
March 21, 2014 – White makes long-awaited NBA debut — plays 56 seconds in loss to San Antonio Spurs.
March 28, 2014 – Kings decline to re-sign White for remainder of season.
“I think for him and his future and his career, he has to start amending some of the things that have happened in the past. Everybody here can only speak positively about our time with Royce and as we just mentioned, it doesn’t mean that his time here is over. For right now it is, but I appreciate his hard work.” – Former Kings coach Mike Malone on White.