Royce White, Anxiety, and Privacy

Houston Rockets rookie forward Royce White may never play in the NBA, and it has nothing to do with on-the-court issues.  White has an anxiety disorder, and maintains that he will not do anything to jeopardize his mental health, even if that means retiring as a professional basketball player before he even gets started. 

White and the Rockets have a unique dynamic right now. I'm hesitant to call it a skirmish, but there's certainly a disconnect between the two parties.  White feels that the Rockets have not been accommodating toward his anxiety, and the Rockets continue to fine White for every day that he does not report to D-League practice and meet with a team-appointed therapist.  While Houston has maintained that they will neither release nor trade White, it certainly would not be surprising to envision White no longer with the team.  Will he be able to play for another team, though?  It certainly seems doubtful, especially because White has been very public about his anxiety.

Despite the fact that nearly 18 percent of Americans, including myself, have some form of anxiety disorder, it is somewhat of a private disorder.  There is a definite level of shame and stigma attached to anxiety, as it is not a visible disease and because it is often associated directly to simply being scared or nervous.  For White to be so outspoken on a national level about his anxiety, then, is admirable.  However, as someone who has been through some of the same issues as White, sometimes publicly and sometimes not,  I wonder if there will come a time that he will regret speaking out. 

Whether we like it or not, professional teams are not going to have a large amount of tolerance for White because they will view him as "problem child" with "character issues."  Teams are supposed to be bigger than any one person, especially when that player is not a superstar.  White wants to ride on buses or trains instead of flying long distances, something perfectly acceptable in general society, but gives off the idea of aloofness and egotistic in the context of team sports.  At this juncture, White may feel that being public about his anxiety is the best course of action, but he may not always feel that way, and since he is such a public figure, there is no way to take back the things that he has said.  I'm not saying that White has anything to be ashamed about, but there have been times when I have wanted to address a personal issue publicly before ultimately deciding that I should not to do so because I don't want to deal with the potential repercussions.  I just hope that White's forthcoming nature does not result in his undoing.