Royce White Wants Permission from Rockets to Take a Bus to Games

Royce White’s absence from the Houston Rockets’ training camp drew the ire of some in the organization (most notably, head coach Kevin McHale.) Due to his illness — Generalized Anxiety Disorder — White says he’s willing to re-join the team, if they allow him to travel by private bus. Reports ESPN: “White’s fear of flying, he said, magnifies his anxiety disorder. So he’s asked the Rockets to let him use a bus for some of the team’s extensive road trips. White said he’s willing to purchase the bus and assume liability. White, who missed the team’s media day on Monday and the start of training camp in McAllen, Texas, on Tuesday, said he hopes to reach an agreement with the team soon. He said he expects to join his teammates within ‘a week,’ if talks with the Rockets continue to progress. ‘What it’s going to look like is every game that’s drivable, I’m going to get a bus for myself,’ White said. ‘And I’m going to make that bus feel like home so that there’s a level of consistency in a job where inconsistency is very apparent because of the schedule. I’m going to try and level that out and make sure that my stress levels stay low and that my rest is regular and that my meals are regular and that as much as I can, draw consistency from a very inconsistent schedule. … People with mental illness, one of the most important things is that they have that consistency and routine. The girth of (my request) was, ‘Can I travel by bus to close enough games?’ . Earlier Wednesday, White released a statement that detailed his refusal to join the team until a plan to address his ‘long-term health’ was in place. […] White said he’s unsure if he’ll start training camp sans a written agreement with the team.”