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Royce White says he is ready to focus on basketball. The 16th overall pick last summer, White scored seven points, grabbed eight rebounds and had four assists for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in Tuesday's 139-122 win over Maine, one day after reporting to the Houston Rockets' developmental league affiliate. He had been away from the Rockets since early November after requesting an arrangement to help him properly treat his diagnosed anxiety disorder while balancing the demands of the NBA schedule. USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, D-League, Royce White 

Mark Berman: Vipers coach Nick Nurse says Royce White, who is happy to b back w/ Rockets organization, will play 5-20 min 2nite in his 1st D-League game. Twitter @MarkBermanFox26

Houston Rockets, D-League, Royce White 

Anxiety disorders affect 40 million Americans 18 and older, and 26.2% of Americans 18 and older suffer from a diagnoseable mental disorder in a given year, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). White, 21, is one of them. Just like you or someone you probably know. "Mental health is talked about in such hush-hush tones," White told USA TODAY Sports. "You have people who are starting to face the stigma and are now finally admitting they have a mental health disorder. That helps other people with anxiety see that there are people who deal with it and it helps everybody else in society see how prevalent it is." USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

The Rockets reinstated White on Jan. 26 and announced the two sides had reached an agreement. White will report to Houston's NBA Development League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, on Monday. "Excited and worried," White said of his return to professional basketball. USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

White was a special player at Iowa State, leading his team in five offensive categories. Both player and team are invested in making things work. It's why the Rockets chose him as the 16th overall pick. Making this work is good for White and the team. "Everybody did the best they could: my agents, doctors, Rockets," White said. "It's an intricate, complex situation dynamically between business and health and how do we balance what's safe enough and what's worth it. USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

White wanted a protocol in writing to cover as many situations as possible. For instance, if White's bus was delayed by weather while the team flight arrived on time and he missed a practice or shoot-around, he didn't want to be fined the same amount as a guy who overslept and missed it. If White has an anxiety attack, he wants time to recover. "I said 'Listen guys, if we don't build something on paper, I'm telling you as sure as day, if we don't build something on paper, we're going to run into an issue.' And we did," White said. "There are going to be arguments, disagreements, disputes, but it's still positive. They've tried really hard to work with me to the best of their knowledge. But their knowledge wasn't as good as it needs to be to actually execute it." USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

Rockets players have said little about White's situation. Earlier this week, forward Patrick Patterson was the only player to admit to news reporters that he watched White on Real Sports. "I haven't really thought about it, honestly," forward Chandler Parsons said. "I hope he gets to the point where he can play. I saw him a little bit in college, and he's a good player and has potential, but you've got to put in the work." USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Chandler Parsons, Royce White 

One veteran NBA player told USA TODAY Sports he wants reliability and dependability in a teammate. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of White's situation. The player had difficulty reconciling White's point that there is no difference between a mental illness and physical illness simply because mental illness are not as recognizable or definable as a physical injury. USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

Royce White: Rio Grande... Im here! They're going to get this work, and they're going to love it. #LandofLions #BeWell Twitter @Highway_30

Houston Rockets, D-League, Royce White 

Houston Rockets rookie forward Royce White, who has yet to play for the team this season, told FOX 26 Sports he passed his physical after meeting Friday with team physician Dr. Jim Muntz. White said he will travel to McAllen on Sunday and report on Monday to the Rockets NBA Development League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. "I always like to get in there with Dr. Muntz and get a physical done and just see how I'm doing as far as my heart and things like," White said. "It takes me back to that reassurance I got after I first started having panic attacks, that I'm healthy and okay. "They said I'm good. I'm usually one of the healthiest guys every time I go in to get a physical, blood pressure is all good and things like that. So I'm happy with that." FOX 26 Sports

Houston Rockets, D-League, Royce White 

As far as traveling with the Vipers, White said it will be no different than if he was in the NBA. "Just the same way I would've in the league this year," White said. "Travel by bus when it's possible and when I have to fly, I'll fly. We'll see how it goes." White looks forward to rejoining the Rockets. "There's no timeline," White said. "Just from what I hear they've said that they want to make it really short, but who knows. It just depends on how I play I guess and where my conditioning is at. I've been out for two and a half months. It's going to be a process. FOX 26 Sports

Houston Rockets, D-League, Royce White 

Being able to complete an agreement with the Rockets that will enable White to continue his basketball career in the Houston organization means everything to him. "It's monumental when you look at it, and for me I know everything that I've actually been through, a lot of things that people don't know about, and I always find a way to come through and I always find a way to get through the adversity and get to a point where I can keep trying to move forward and progress and this is one of those moments and I won't let anything keep me down or hold me back. FOX 26 Sports

Houston Rockets, D-League, Royce White 

Mark Berman: Royce White passes his physical and is set to join the D-League Vipers. He said: "It's monumental when u look at it." tinyurl.com/bh4ndep Twitter @MarkBermanFox26

Houston Rockets, D-League, Royce White 

White, 21, is one of them. Just like you or someone you probably know. "Mental health is talked about in such hush-hush tones," White told USA TODAY Sports. "You have people who are starting to face the stigma and are now finally admitting they have a mental health disorder. That helps other people with anxiety see that there are people who deal with it and it helps everybody else in society see how prevalent it is." USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

"I'm not really sure how often a team has dealt with what Houston is dealing with right now," TNT analyst and former NBA player and executive Steve Kerr said. "I respect what he's trying to accomplish and how he's trying to help people. That's important. "Usually what happens is if a guy is tough to deal with, you don't have the energy and resources to handle that with so much else going on. It takes a really, really special and talented player to really want to deal with it." USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Steve Kerr, Royce White 

One veteran NBA player told USA TODAY Sports he wants reliability and dependability in a teammate. He spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of White's situation. The player had difficulty reconciling White's point that there is no difference between a mental illness and physical illness simply because mental illness are not as recognizable or definable as a physical injury. USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

Royce White on what it would take for him to play in the NBA: “We are already there. We came to an agreement where we basically said we’re going to hit the reset button and start over and the premise of that reset is going to be, we’re going to acknowledge that anxiety disorder does exist, we’re going to acknowledge that it is a disability, we’re going to acknowledge that under ADA law that it does require reasonable accommodation, it requires care and understanding because it’s a very new topic for the NBA, professional sports and really everybody. That’s what we did here and I was comfortable with that and hopefully going forward we will get an official protocol in place that gets into some real detail of how the school system’s and colleges and how other people in the medical world have been successful with treating mental health.” Sports Radio Interviews

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

Royce White said it doesn't matter if he's 100% comfortable with the agreement he reached with the Houston Rockets regarding concerns for his mental health. What matters to the rookie forward, who has an anxiety disorder, is that "(the Rockets) acknowledged I have a disorder, and it does have to be reasonably accommodated," White told USA TODAY Sports. USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

White has become an outspoken and passionate advocate for mental health and the rights of those who suffer. "I have a voice and people know me," White said. "I can reach out to people and make a stink that most people can't." USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White 

What exactly did the Rockets say? "They said we're going to hit the reset button … that mental health disorders need to be accommodated and there needs to be a place for mental health conditions in the NBA," White said. "We decided to go forward in good faith with each other. If a problem arises and we can't agree, then we'll try everything to figure it out without bias." USA Today Sports

Houston Rockets, Royce White