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Could Royce White's Fear Of Flying Cost Him In The NBA Draft

There's a lot of things you can put on your resume that would make an employer think twice about hiring you. For Royce White, Forward for Iowa State and projected first round draft pick, it's quite possible his fear of flying could be his deal breaker.

Via Yahoo Sports

The difference between his selection points could be significant. Though White is rumored to have a guarantee that he won't fall below the Boston Celtics (who are working with the 21st and 22nd picks in the 2012 draft), a dip into the second round could mean suffering the disparity between signing a four-year deal guaranteed at around $6 million in total, or an non-guaranteed two-year deal with a starting salary of about a third of the probable $1.2 million White would make in his first year if he were selected by Boston.

White burst onto the scene this past March when he put forth big performances against Connecticut and eventual champion Kentucky in the NCAA tournament. As a result, the 6-foot-8 forward vaulted into the consciousness of NBA talent evaluators and was thought by some to be a lottery pick after declaring early for the draft as a sophomore.

But, like many Americans, White hates to fly. And that's a big obstacle in the eyes of some NBA executives as players annually face a gauntlet of flights and hotels involved in 41 regular-season road games.

The fear of flying is part of a larger anxiety disorder for White, who has also admitted to struggling with obsessive compulsive disorder and uses medication to control both. That concerns NBA evaluators in light of former NBA draft picks like Eddie Griffin, the No. 7 overall pick in 2001 who battled depression before tragically dying at the age of 25 after his car crashed into a train in 2007 while he was under the influence of alcohol.

Of course a lot of people hate to fly. The problem with White is that his fear is a bit more severe. He's flown before, however. This sucks that his phobia could take him from the first round, to second round draft pick and cost him millions of guaranteed dollars. Have they tried hypnosis at least?

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Comment by JustMe on June 27, 2012 at 12:24pm: But doesnt he fly for college play? My younger brother played college ball & they flew everywhere... So how was he getting to college games?

Comment by Eleven8 on June 27, 2012 at 12:58pm: @JustMe they say he flew every now & again, but he and his grandfather drove to most games

Comment by JustMe on June 27, 2012 at 2:43pm: Wow!!!! Well, what's his major?

Comment by DallasBadYella on June 27, 2012 at 3:49pm: that's interesting.. Poor guy.. I know what it's like to battle an anxiety disorder. Just read the story on Eddie Griffin too, he just couldn't get it together, very sad story. They believed it was suicide. Young, talented and cute. Sad

Comment by DJ - A.K.A - DON_JUAN on June 27, 2012 at 3:55pm: i can side with him on this fear of flying. i dont like it either..even before 9/11 its just the whole being in a tube and not in control for me. i could do it for those big bucks he would get but still a huge obstacle that would be.

Comment by Brown Skin Beauty on June 27, 2012 at 4:21pm: I was going to say how could it hurt his chances but he takes medication...wow.

Comment by JustMe on June 27, 2012 at 4:23pm: That's why I wonder about his major... Maybe he could just fall back on that... Would hate for his fear of flying to manifest in other ways, and possible lead to more troubles...

Would the Mister T A-Team thingy work?

Comment by BlackSnakeMoan on June 27, 2012 at 5:44pm: why does this turn me on? I think I like him

Comment by Bonita on June 27, 2012 at 5:57pm: It a shame hope he tries some type of therapy

Comment by Lushus Kay on June 27, 2012 at 5:59pm: Hmmm, wonder what he's going to end up doing about that then? I don't like to fly either. Hitting turbulence can kinda freak me out sometimes...