Sports

NBA Draft Pick Royce White Absent from Houston Rockets Practice Due to Anxiety

Multiple media outlets are reporting that former Iowa State Cyclone standout, Royce White, who was a first-round NBA draft pick in June, was missing from practice with the Houston Rockets and media day due to anxiety issues.

Royce White, a rookie forward for the Houston Rockets and a former Iowa State Cyclone basketball standout, missed the NBA team's media day on Monday and practices on Tuesday due to a “personnel matter” thought to be related to his anxiety disorder, several media outlets have reported.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale said he had no idea when White would rejoin the team, as reported by the Houston Chronicle and wouldn't say why White was missing.

But White told Fox 26 Sports News in Houston that his absence is related to his anxiety disorder.

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"We are trying to figure out a plan for me to be healthy and successful long-term," White said.

"It's not really anything that's going on right now. It's more of trying to take a pro-active approach and trying to put together a solid plan.

"It is definitely linked with my anxiety sure, but it's not so much as far as my anxiety now. Basically what happened was my doctor, we discussed it, and it was decided the way the plan was now just wasn't logistically healthy.

"So what can we do strategically to try and improve the chances of everybody being successful in this situation, my success and the Rockets success? If I fail then that's not good for them either, because it's an investment."

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While no one on the team wanted to elaborate on White's absence teammate Chandler Parsons offered his support.

“I sent him a text and gave him a call just to say I’m here for him. If he ever needs anything, I’m here. 'Just take your time.' We want him here. We need him here. We look forward to him being on the court,” Parsons told the Chronicle.

A CBSSports blog author, Ben Golliver, is rooting for White too.

“Obviously, it's a shame to see White's issue affecting him so early in his career but he's overcome in the past and this is just another small bump in the road for him,” Golliver wrote.

White was the 16th pick in the NBA draft in June.


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