Sacramento Kings Sign Former Iowa State Star Royce White To A 10-Day Contract

Trent3/06/2014 8:12 PM

NBA.SI- The 2012 first-round pick and unrestricted free agent has signed a 10-day contract with the Kings, the club announced Thursday. Sacramento immediately assigned White to their D-League affiliate, the Reno Bighorns. USA Today Sports reported last week that the Kings were eyeing White, who hasn’t been on an NBA roster since he was released by the Sixers in October. White, 22, was selected by the Rockets with the No. 16 pick in the 2012 draft but he spent his entire rookie season on the sidelines in Houston, engaged in a months-long dispute with Rockets management over the treatment of his mental health. White suffers from Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, panic attacks and a fear of flying and he sought a formalized protocol to handle his mental health treatment as well as the appointment of an independent doctor — “a medical point person” — who would make the determination on whether or not he would be cleared to play. After a public back-and-forth with the Rockets that involved a suspension, White eventually suited up for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston’s D-League affiliate. The versatile forward averaged 11.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 16 appearances. Houston chose to resolve its issues with White by trading him to Philadelphia in July 2013. The Sixers brought White to camp and gave him a shot during the preseason but decided to release him prior to the start of the regular season.

Thank you @SacramentoKings for this opportunity, but even more so the kind of ppl you are. Thank you to the many still supporting. #BeWell
— Royce White (@Highway_30) March 6, 2014

Remember Royce White? I barely do. Just one of those guys that you eventually forget about once you realize that they’ll never quite get it. To refresh your memory, White transferred from Minnesota to play at Iowa State where he had a good season (averaged 13, 9 and 5) and jumped to the NBA where he was drafted by the Houston Rockets where things quickly turned sour because White refused to fly on planes (kind of a big issue for a professional basketball player) because of panic attacks. He never played for the Houston Rockets and instead played for their D-League team and was eventually traded to the 76ers in a moved that made it possible for the Rockets to sign Dwight Howard. Houston’s GM went onto say that White was the worst first round pick ever. White was later cut by the 76ers without ever playing a minute for the team.

If none of that jogs your memory, maybe you’ll remember him for knocking up groupies in an RV, getting them pregnant and then blocking them on Twitter.

Im writing you because I’m very frustrated. I didn’t want to speak up but at this point enough is enough. I met royce white back in January in LA on a set for a video blog we shot for a charity organization. Instantly the chemistry was there and we hung out in la (he was there for the Dr Phil taping). We kept in contact, we would text each other EVERYDAY, face time, all that and we called each other best friends. I visited royce in Houston for all star weekend and down in McAllen while he was playing for the D League. I even hit the road with him in his RV as we traveled across the country to his away games while he was with the Vipers. I was even with him when news broke out that he had multiple women pregnant. He was very upset when your blog put that article out. It affected his anxiety tremendously. the last encounter royce and I had, I became pregnant and I found out shortly after my last visit with him. He has blocked me on twitter and stopped answering my calls and texts. Royce white did a complete 180 and now I don’t exist to him but I’m left with this difficult situation at hand to handle on my own. I will hoe ever defend myself and say i am not like those other girls we were friends before anything and I’m hurt and confused as to why I am now being treated like this. I’m not here to bash royce. He was a nice guy. He is just going about this the wrong way. U can’t turn your back to this I have attached us and the RV he rides in to verify my story