Royce White

Royce White

White while at Iowa State
Free agent
Position	Power forward
Personal information
Born	(1991-04-10) April 10, 1991 Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nationality	American
Listed height	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)
Listed weight	260 lb (118 kg)
Career information
High school	DeLaSalle (Minneapolis, Minnesota) Hopkins (Minnetonka, Minnesota)
College	Minnesota (2009–2010) Iowa State (2011–2012)
NBA draft	2012 / Round: 1 / Pick: 16th overall
Selected by the Houston Rockets
Playing career	2012–present
Career history
2012–2013	Rio Grande Valley Vipers (D-League)
2014	Sacramento Kings
2014	→Reno Bighorns (D-League)
Career highlights and awards
First-team All-Big 12 (2012) Big 12 All-Rookie First Team (2012) Big 12 Newcomer of the Year (2012) Jordan Brand Classic All-American (2009) Minnesota Mr. Basketball (2009)

Royce Alexander White (born April 10, 1991) is an American professional basketball player who has played for the Sacramento Kings of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was the 16th selection of the 2012 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets and has played in the NBA Development League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers and Reno Bighorns on assignment from the Rockets and Kings, respectively. White previously played college basketball with the Iowa State Cyclones basketball team starring for the 2011–12 Cyclones. Before that he was a high school basketball star in the state of Minnesota and had committed to play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team. He is afflicted with anxiety disorder and has caused disciplinary problems that have necessitated transfers in both high school and college. Concerns about the Rockets' plan for dealing with his mental health led to White missing all of the 2012–13 NBA season for the Rockets despite being under contract. He debuted for the Vipers on February 12.

White was the 2009 Minnesota Mr. Basketball and a two-time Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) championship team member. He was a Class 3A MSHSL champion in 2006 with DeLaSalle High School as a freshman and a Class 4A MSHSL champion in 2009 with Hopkins High School as a senior, leading his school to a perfect (31-0) record.

A pair of 2009 incidents led to his suspension from the 2009–10 Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball team and withdrawal from the University of Minnesota. White eventually transferred to Iowa State University. He led the 2011–12 Cyclones in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots and was the only Division I basketball player to lead his team in all five statistics. Following the 2011–12 Big 12 Conference men's basketball season, he was named the unanimous Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and was recognized as a first team All-Big 12 and a unanimous Big 12 All-Rookie Team selection. He was selected as an honorable mention Associated Press 2012 NCAA Men's Basketball All-American.

Early life and education

Born in Minneapolis, White traces personal battles with anxiety to a basketball practice when he was 10 years old. He was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder in 2008.

White went to DeLaSalle High School for his freshman to junior years. For his senior year, White went to Hopkins High School. He was rated as the 2nd, 8th and 10th best high school power forward in the national class of 2009 by Rivals.com, ESPN.com and Scout.com, respectively. Rivals ranked him 19th overall, while ESPN ranked him 35th. He had dozens of collegiate scholarship offers, including Minnesota, Creighton, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan State, Purdue, Texas, USC, and Wisconsin. White was one of 20 2009 Jordan Brand Classic All-Americans, and he was recognized by the St. Paul Pioneer Press as a First-Team All-State honoree.

As a freshman, White made a jump shot that gave his team the lead for good in the middle of the second half to put his team in the 2006 Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) 3A championship game. The team went on to win the championship. Following his sophomore season where he led DeLaSalle to a 19–8 record, White participated in the 2007 LeBron James US Skills Academy in Akron, Ohio and The Nike Global Challenge at the University of Portland. As a high school junior, he was suspended for the first two games of the 2007–08 season at DeLaSalle and later dismissed from school after the team struggled to an 11–10 start. After transferring to Hopkins, he won the Class 4A MSHSL Championship in 2009, giving him his second state championship. Hopkins finished 10th in the final USA Today national poll, with a 31–0 record.

Name	Home town	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Royce White PF	Minneapolis, MN	DeLaSalle (MN) Hopkins (MN)	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Apr 23, 2008
	Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 94
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 10 (PF)   Rivals: 19, 2 (PF)  ESPN: 35, 8 (PF)
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources:

College

Minnesota

White pleaded guilty to theft and disorderly conduct after being suspended for the 2009–10 NCAA Division I men's basketball season in October 2009 for an incident at the Mall of America. In the October 13 incident, he was initially accused of taking $100 worth of clothes and of fifth-degree assault when he allegedly pushed a mall security officer to the ground twice, but he claimed the security officer was charging at him and he was defending himself. The suspension was for competition and travel, but at the discretion of head coach Tubby Smith, White could attend practices. According to his grandfather, he attended some Gopher practices in December.

White was initially a suspect in a November laptop computer theft incident, but he was not formally charged with trespassing until January. When he was charged in the incident involving allegations of laptop theft from a university dorm, he left the University of Minnesota in February 2010. He had unofficially announced his departure from Minnesota via YouTube in November, but had not formally notified the athletic department. Despite his legal difficulties, White achieved better than a 3.0 grade point average in his first semester at Minnesota. While suspended from the team, he spent some of his extracurricular time on his music career.

Following his departure from Minnesota, White initially gave up on transferring to continue playing college basketball. He was considered to be an National Basketball Association Draft first round talent at the time. Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg became acquainted with White during his tenure on the staff of the Minnesota Timberwolves. By the summer of 2010, he weighed 250 pounds (113.4 kg). At one point, White was expected to transfer to Kentucky. White explained that John Calipari had called him to transfer to Kentucky the next day, but White's fear of flying and an anxiety disorder triggered a panic attack, which caused him to cancel his trip to sign with the team.

Iowa State

White for the 2011–12 Cyclones vs. the Iowa Hawkeyes

Because White did not officially depart Minnesota until the middle of his second semester, he was academically ineligible to receive a scholarship from any Division I school in 2010. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) usually requires a two semester residency for transfers. He transferred to Iowa State prior to using any of his athletic eligibility at Minnesota and applied to the NCAA for a waiver to be eligible to play during the 2010–11 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, but the NCAA denied his waiver. Iowa State appealed the decision, but their appeal was denied.

At Iowa State, White joined a team that included several transfer students. He was voted as the 2011–12 Big 12 Preseason Newcomer of the Year and then won the first Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week award of the season following his November 12 double-double debut performance against Lehigh with 25 points and 11 rebounds. White had a double-double in his second career game as well three nights later against Drake with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Then on November 25 against Providence, he recorded 16 rebounds. On December 3, against 15th-ranked Michigan he recorded a double-double with 22 points and 13 rebounds as well as 4 steals.

White on defense

White defending against Thomas Robinson of Kansas

White defending against Perry Jones III of Baylor

In conference play, White posted his first triple-double on January 7 against Texas A&M with 10 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists plus a block and two steals. His triple-double was one of thirteen NCAA DI triple doubles during the season. It was the fourth in Cyclones history and the first in a road game. It was the twelfth in Big 12 conference history and the sixth in intraconference play. On January 9, White was recognized for a second time as Phillips 66 Big 12 Rookie of the Week for leading Iowa State to its fifth 2–0 Big 12 start ever. On January 14, White posted a double-double against tenth-ranked Kansas with 18 points and 17 rebounds. On January 24, White posted 15 points and 15 rebounds against Texas for his sixth double-double. On January 31, White scored 22 points, including the winning shot with 1.8 seconds left in a 72–70 victory over Kansas State. White's seventh double-double came on February 7 against Oklahoma State when he scored 15 points and added 12 rebounds. On February 22, White posted 13 points and 10 rebounds to go along with 8 assists against Texas Tech for his eighth double-double of the season. For the week of February 20–26 White averaged 11 points, 11 rebounds and 7.5 assists while shooting 57.1% from the field to earn his third Big 12 Rookie of the Week award. At the time of his third rookie of the week recognition, he was the only Big 12 player in the conference's top 5 in terms of rebounds and assists. White concluded the regular season with a double double against Baylor on March 3 when he totaled 11 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists.

White's attacking Quincy Acy (left) and Perry Jones III (right)

He added a 17-point, 10-rebound double double in the 2012 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament in a loss to Texas. In Iowa State's opening game of the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, White posted 15 points and 11 rebounds in a victory over Connecticut. His season concluded with a 23-point, 9-rebound, 4-assist and 3-steal performance in a loss to Kentucky. White fouled out for the first time in his career in the game and ended the season with 11 double-doubles. White finished the season as the team leader in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, making him the only player in Division I basketball to do so.

White's early and late-season looks (top 2011-11-30, bottom 2012-03-03)

On March 4, following the 2011–12 Big 12 Conference men's basketball season, he was named the unanimous Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and was recognized as a First team All-Big 12 and a unanimous Big 12 All-Rookie Team selection by the Big 12 coaches. In addition, he was selected as Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and was recognized as a First team All-Big 12 selection by both the Associated Press and the Kansas City Star. He concluded the regular season 2nd in the Big 12 in rebounding and 5th in assists with averages of 9.2 and 5.2, respectively. On March 1, he was named to the 30-player midseason Naismith College Player of the Year Award watchlist. He was selected by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association to its 10-man 2011–12 Men's All-District VI (IA, MO, KS, OK, NE, ND, SD) Team. White was a first team selection to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I All‐District 8 team on March 14. White was named an honorable mention Associated Press All-American.

White was the only player in the nation to lead his team in the five major statistical categories: points (13.4), rebounding (9.3), assists (5.0), steals (1.1) and blocks (0.9). He was the first cyclone since Fred Hoiberg (1993–94) and second ever to lead the team in points, rebounds and assists. His final Big 12 rankings were 2nd in both rebounding and field goal percentage (53.4%) as well as 5th in assists. He ranked 34th, 36th and 57th nationally in those same statistics. His 316 rebounds and 170 assists ranked 7th and 10th all-time in school history for single-season totals. His single-season rebound total was the most by a Cyclone since 1978 (Dean Uthoff, 378).

On March 21, 2012, White chose to forgo his Junior and Senior years at ISU to enter the 2012 NBA Draft. On that date he stated his intent to hire an agent.

College statistics

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2011–12	Cyclones	34	33	31.5	.534	.333	.498	9.3	5.0	1.2	0.9	13.4

Professional career

2012–13

At the 2012 NBA Draft Combine, White measured at 6'8" and had the widest hands—11.5 inches (29.2 cm)—of any player participating. According to Iowa State head coach Fred Hoiberg, White was able to bench-press 185 pounds 30 times in pre-combine workouts. White was drafted by the Houston Rockets on June 28, 2012 with the 16th selection. He was represented by Andrew Vye and Andy Miller of the ASM Sports as his agents.

White missed the opening of NBA camp on Monday October 1, due to a desire to have a contractual plan with the Rockets for addressing his obsessive compulsive disorder and anxiety disorder. After sessions with his own long-time doctor, White requested permission to purchase a bus in order to diminish his flight schedule and the impact his fear of flying has on his own mental health. The Rockets and White came to an agreement regarding eliminating as many triggers as possible for his anxiety disorder, including allowing White extensive travel by personal bus rather than flying (which is a trigger). White missed the first week of training camp before this agreement was put in place.

A few games into the season, White had a dispute with the team regarding the handling of his anxiety disorder, leading to his absence from the team. These events coincided with the Rockets' plan to assign White to their Rio Grande Valley Vipers NBA Development League affiliate along with two other young players. The team agreed to meet with White on Monday November 19 to resolve his issues. By the end of the week, the situation remained unresolved. Two weeks after the situation began, the Rockets were optimistic. On December 20, White was confirmed to begin practice sessions with a member of the Houston Rockets' staff within a week. As of December 26, he had not shown up to work with the Rockets according to Rockets head coach Kevin McHale. On December 29, Houston assigned White to its D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers. On December 29, David Aldridge of TNT reported via Twitter White had practiced with the team and that the assignment was part of a multi-week plan to reintegrate White into the organization. On December 30, White again refused assignment to the Vipers. As explanation, White issued a statement. Aldridge summarized White's objections: the playing environment is unsafe; White requested involvement of mental health professionals; and White claimed that the Rockets' efforts are misleading.

In a January 2013 interview, White stated "chances are very high" he would never play an NBA game, blaming what he believed to be a league-wide "lack of protocol" on mental health issues. He further stated he did not hold blame against the Rockets' organization and that he still wanted to play for Houston. On January 6, 2013, the Rockets suspended White without pay for failing to perform his contract.

On January 26, 2013, the Rockets and White mutually agreed that he would report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 11, 2013. On February 8, White passed his physical. On February 12, White made his professional debut with the Vipers in a 139-122 win against the Maine Red Claws, playing 18 minutes and leading the team with 8 rebounds from off the bench. White also scored 7 points and totaled 4 assists.

Following the reconciliation, a USA Today story detailed White's situation, clarifying his specific mental illness as Generalized anxiety disorder, with ailments that include "panic attacks, a fear of heights and traveling — especially by plane — and obsessive-compulsive disorder". Although White endured 20 flights for travel during his season at Iowa State, the Rockets' NBA schedule called for 98 flights. White had attempted to cope with travel through use of Benadryl and Xanax, but found both reduced his energy level. White likened his disorder to a day-to-day physical injury in which expectations can be unclear.

On March 21, White announced via Twitter that following professional medical advice he would no longer be playing for the Vipers. After missing three road games to Indiana and Pennsylvania, White returned to the Vipers for their final six games, which were all home games, but he did not anticipate participating in the "hectic" playoff schedule.

When the Vipers began the playoffs on the road against the Maine Red Claws on April 11, White did not travel with the team. The Vipers went on to sweep all three playoff series, but White did not play with the team. Over the course of the season, White traveled using a bus provided by the Rockets for 15 road games.

2013–14

On July 3, 2013, the Rockets omitted White's name from its Orlando Summer League roster, which was conspicuous according to Houston Chronicle writer Jonathan Feigen. Two days later, several news outlets confirmed that White and the rights to Furkan Aldemir had been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for future considerations, which helped Houston clear $1.7 million of salary cap space to help sign Dwight Howard. As White waited for the trade to be approved, he played in a YMCA league. On July 13, the 76ers announced the deal officially. White participated in voluntary offseason workouts with the team and was expected to participate in training camp when it began on September 28. On September 27, at media day, White stated that he planned to travel with the team when necessary (even on its pre-season trip to Spain). However, White did not make the October 4 trip with the team to Spain. The press reported that 14 players traveled with the team and 5 did not. CBS Sports journalist Matt Moore gave three possible reasons for White's absence: 1.) goodwill effort by the team, 2.) a sign the team plans to waive him, 3.) a conditioning issue. Philadelphia Daily News reporter Bob Cooney tweeted, "White, who suffers from anxiety disorder, planned to make the flight but team 'gave him a pass,' source told me." According to 76ers coach Brett Brown, "It really was just based on our team doctor giving me and [general manager] Sam [Hinkie] and the club advice that it may be best for him to remain at home." The box score from the first game of the road trip indicates that 15 players traveled with the team and 5 did not. On October 25, 2013, White was waived by the 76ers as they cut their roster from 20 to 16 before the October 28 deadline to reach a 15-man roster. The move was described as surprising to various NBA analysts such as NJ.com's Eliot Shorr-Parks and Bleacher Report's Joe Flynn. On October 24, USA Today had run an article suggesting that White was fairly certain to make the team. By mid-December, White was living in Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania with his wife and children aged 2.5 years and 6 months and had switched agents from Andrew Vye of ASM Sports to George Bass of AAI Sports.

On March 6, 2014, White signed a 10-day contract with the Sacramento Kings, but was immediately assigned to the Reno Bighorns of the NBA D-League. He made his debut for the Bighorns the next day in a 112-86 win over the Idaho Stampede. In 26 minutes of playing time, he recorded 5 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. On March 14, 2014, he was recalled by the Kings. On March 18, he signed a second 10-day contract with the Kings. On March 21, White made his NBA debut by playing 56 seconds for the Sacramento Kings. He accumulated no statistics in the Kings' 99-79 loss to the San Antonio Spurs. After White's second 10-day contract expired, the Kings decided to part ways with him.

2015

In March 2015, White said he continued to aspire to play professional basketball. He became a 2015 NBA Summer League target for several teams, and later joined the Los Angeles Clippers to play in the Orlando Summer League.

Personal

White's parents are Rebecca White and Kevin Tucker. He has two younger siblings and is a distant relative of Hall of Fame baseball player Dave Winfield. His grandfather, Frank, who won a national intramural basketball championship, attended University of Minnesota with Winfield. He has a son, born February 2011, with Angelic Aguilar.

Some of the music career related activities while away from basketball included YouTube videos under the name "whiteandbrownrecords". During his two and a half years away from competitive basketball, he also learned to play the piano.

Career statistics

Legend
GP	Games played	GS	Games started	MPG	Minutes per game
FG%	Field goal percentage	3P%	3-point field goal percentage	FT%	Free throw percentage
RPG	Rebounds per game	APG	Assists per game	SPG	Steals per game
BPG	Blocks per game	PPG	Points per game	Bold	Career high

NBA

Regular season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2013–14	Sacramento	3	0	3.0	.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0
Career		3	0	3.0	.000	.000	.000	.0	.0	.0	.0	.0

NBA D-League

Regular Season

Year	Team	GP	GS	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	PPG
2012–13	Rio Grande Valley	16	8	25.6	.444	.100	.659	5.7	3.3	.9	.8	11.4
2013–14	Reno	4	4	24.8	.367	.333	.625	4.3	2.8	1.5	.2	8.8
Career		20	12	25.4	.431	.211	.653	5.4	3.2	1.0	.6	10.9

External links

• Career statistics and player information from NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
• Career statistics and player information from WNBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com
• White stats at ESPN
• White Bio @ Cyclones.com

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Jordan Taylor	Mr. Basketball Minnesota Award Winner 2009	Succeeded by Kevin Noreen