Advertisement
Royce White has not settled in well at Houston. AP Photo/Pat Sullivan, File
Basketball

NBA: Rockets suspend rookie for 'refusing to provide services'

Royce White claims his anxiety disorder is not being addressed properly by Houston.

THE HOUSTON ROCKETS have taken a further step in disciplining reluctant rookie Royce White.

The NBA side have suspended the first-round draft pick for ‘refusing to provide services’ stated by his contract with the Texas outfit.

Last week, Houston assigned Royce, who suffers from an anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorders, to their Development League affiliate [the Rio Grande Valley Vipers] but the forward refused to go.

White was chosen as the 16th pick overall in last summer’s NBA draft after he lead Iowa State to their best ever season and carried the team’s scoring burden.

The Rockets were forced to address some of the player’s concerns over travel arrangements – he said he had a fear of flying – and allowed him to take buses to certain away games.

White will not be paid during his term of suspension and has been placed on the Rockets’ inactive list.

The 21-year-old from Minneapolis, who trained briefly with the D-League team, has taken to Twitter to argue his case.

Credit: @Highway_30

He also stated, in an interview on Sirius/XM radio, that the chances of him never playing in the NBA ‘are very high’.

White said his problem was not with Houston but the NBA for not having proper protocols in place to assist players with mental illnesses.

He added, “I say that just like I said before the draft that the chances were very high that I didn’t even get drafted.

“Because business in America, as we all know, is about one thing and that’s convenience and efficiency. Often times what the efficient thing to do is not the healthiest thing to do, right?”

Off the record: 5 sporting stories you may have missed this weekend

The Redzone: Wild-Card weekend finishes with a whimper