Royce White at Knicks mini-camp
- Thread starter Bret44
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There are hundreds of medical conditions that would inhibit a person from playing in the NBA. Why should the NBA cater to those with mental disorders, but not people with physical disorders? It is perfectly acceptable to say that someone paralyzed from the waist down can't play in the NBA, but its discrimination to suggest that someone who can't handle the stress of the NBA grind, travel, pressure etc, can't play in the NBA?
I am all about treating and promoting those with mental illnesses, but I was saying almost this exact same thing to my husband last week.
If someone had crippling anxiety, would their best choice in the world be to be an air traffic controller, no matter how good they were at it naturally? If someone had awful depression, would it be a great choice for them to be a child psychiatrist, even if they love kids?
There are times when what you are naturally good at doesn't align with what your reality allows. Not just from the side of the NBA catering to the players with issues - isn't it a disservice to the players themselves to keep pushing a square peg into a round hole?
This is obviously not all mental illnesses - but terrible anxiety with a fear of flying just maybe isn't a great combination for a job where you are flying many, many times a week, and then have to perform in front of millions. Nobody's saying he can't try it if he doesn't want to do so, but you do have to realize at some point that it might not work.
This is where I'm at with Royce's situation. Being mentally strong enough to handle the grind that is the NBA is a prerequisite of the job. Royce has had chances and has had teams try to help him. He just isn't made to handle the grind.
I look at it this way. Since Royce's issues were fixated around flying at the beginning how would him or anyone else feel if that airline was having to change mental health policies for pilots. I'm all for getting more help for mental health in the US but sometimes a career requires a certain level of mental strength that some just cannot get to.
Royce is letting the disease control him, or he is just milking it for an easy stroll through life. Whichever it is, it doesn't help his situation.
He definitely has it easier now in life than he did with the earning potential of a first round pick in the NBA.
Excellent analysis. I've always disagreed with Royce White's approach. The Rockets took a risk and drafted him in the first round for a big money contract. Royce chose to drive a wedge between him and the Rockets, mostly with his immature tweets. If I'm being paid millions, I do whatever I can to work with my employer to resolve all issues. Royce seemed to be more obsessed with his "cause" for mental health than he did playing in the NBA with a mental health issue. If he truly was an advocate for mental health and wanted to set an example to those with similar issues, he would have found a way to work with the Rockets and prove to everyone that he could find a way to play in the NBA with his disability. He could have been a guiding light for those with similar problems. Instead he chose to become a victim. He either received bad advice or did not listen.
I think he is trying to be seen as an advocate instead of an NBA player. In reality he is just proving every team that avoided him right. This could potentially impact future players unwillingness to discuss if they need help with a mental illness to protect draft status. Royce's actions have most likely done more damage to his cause than good.
Had he played while still being open about his illness it would have been the best thing for his cause. Instead he has become exactly what so many people said he would be.
I disagree with those on here saying he should just play. If you are fighting for a cause, you have to be willing to sacrifice something and sometimes not compromise. I also think he is perfectly fine with not playing. He could have easily said ok Ill play and make tons of money and put that above my mental health but he didn't do that and that is a really brave thing to do. Most people probably wouldn't do that. To really change things though would take more than one player unless that player was Lebron James.
Sorry I don't agree. You say he has to help himself but that is exactly what he is doing. He is doing what is best for his own mental health. Not compromising is not playing a victim.
I have no idea what it is like either to be that talented or to endure his mental health issues, so I don't feel compelled to judge how he handles his situation. Would love to see him on the court again, but it's his life, not mine.
If not playing and not travelling is what's best for his mental health than he should just move on.
Life is full of compromises. He's had plenty of offers for help but yet he continues to say it's not good enough. If none of us were willing to compromise we'd all be unemployed because no way would I work for anything less than 2 million a year. If I took Royce's view it's my potential employers fault they don't see I'm worth 2 million a year. So i'm just not going to work until they change to pay me 2 million a year.
That's fine... Its just how I see it being someone who suffers from severe anxiety. If I allow my mental health to dictate what I do, I lose. If his passion is fighting for his mental health, then he is doing what he feels is right. Royce could overcome his anxiety with therapy. Its tough to do, but it works. However, he would rather not do the work of intensive therapy and overcome the issue. Instead, he chooses to try and make the NBA look like bullies.