Have the Houston Rockets and rookie Royce White finally made up? Well it appears so as they released a joint statement declaring his reinstatement. Read more after the jump.
The two sides have battled since they chose him as the 16th overall pick in the draft. Due to an anxiety condition, White was unable to travel with the team and both sides have battled over what’s right for him. White often cited that the team was focused on the business and not what’s right for his mental health. White was recently suspended when he refused to report to a D-League assignment. White has publicly (mostly twitter rants) been honest about his struggles with his anxiety disorder and wants certain protocols put into place to provide what he considers to be a safe environment for him to pursue his NBA career. The two sides have apparently come to an agreement.
The official release, in its entirety, reads as follows:
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.
This has been a learning process for both parties.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have approved the settlement.
Royce is no longer suspended and is re-instated effective immediately.
He will report to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers on February 11, 2013.
So White will report to his D-League assignment and then we will see where he goes from there. Hopefully all of this was worth it once we see how he performs on an NBA court. If anything mental health issues were certainly addressed.
