Royce White Skeptical About NBA’s Mental Health Initiative

Former Rockets forward Royce White is skeptical that the NBA genuinely cares about players’ mental health.

In a story by Yahoo’s Dan Devine, White cautioned that the League is engaging in the mental health conversation because it’s a trendy topic.

“There already were faces (for a mental health movement),” he said. “Jerry West, for one. I mean, Jesus, do we need a bigger face than that? I mean, forget me.” […]

“Let’s take Ron Artest, Delonte West, Eddie Griffin, Latrell Sprewell, Jason Williams, Chris Herren — a number of people who toed the line between mental health and substance abuse, which is a co-morbid line, which they know. […]

“So the question becomes, what did they do in light of those cases? And the next question becomes, if it’s not about the faces — if it’s about the public support of the faces, or the public wave that’s going to move the progress — then it’s a sensationalized progress, and then, again, it’s not genuine, in my opinion.”

RELATED:
Michele Roberts Says NBA, NBPA Working On Mental Wellness Program