Suspended power forward Royce White, who was the 16th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, has been reinstated by the Houston Rockets after both sides reached a mutual agreement to address his anxiety disorder.
The 6-foot-8 White will report to the Rockets’ D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, on Feb. 11, according to a joint statement released Saturday.
“The Houston Rockets and Royce White have today reached an agreement that addresses the major issues that they have been discussing, provides a new start, and gives Royce the best opportunity for long term success as a Houston Rocket,” the statement read. “This has been a learning process for both parties.”
The agreement was approved by the NBA and National Basketball Players Association. Neither side would release details.
White has admitted that he has an anxiety disorder that prevents him from being able to fly on planes to meet the rigorous demands of the NBA schedule. This has made the relationship between parties very strenuous.
The inability to reach an agreement earlier resulted in a backlash from White on his Twitter account. He made homophobic, sexist and derogatory comments about the organization. The Rockets suspended the rookie forward on Jan. 6 after he refused his initial assignment to Rio Grande Valley.
“I do wish to play, but I only intend to do so with the collaboration and recommendation of trained professionals,” White said in a statement at the time of his suspension.
White appeared on HBO’s Real Sports earlier this week and admitted that there was a possibility that his anxiety disorder would not permit him to ever play in the NBA. But he remained adamant that he wanted to play and wasn’t going to let his disorder stop him without a fight.
Now that a deal has been reached, White can take the steps to pick up his professional career. The Rockets are hopeful that White can be called up from their D-League affiliate and make an instant impact to the team during the second half of the season.
