SCORECARD
is aware of the former NBA player
and is intrigued, but adds that he
hasn’t scouted White.
“We’ll see what happens when
he takes a big shot,” says Nelson.
“That’s when you learn a lot
about someone and you learn
a lot about yourself.”
Characteristically, White has
given plenty of thought to his career
change. So much that he’s written
an e-book about it, MMA x NBA: A
Critique of Modern Sport in America,
which is available on Amazon.
As he sees it, he’s already 1–0.
“You know, I had everything to gain
by not even saying anything about
mental health,” he says. “Actually,
I was advised by my agent and by
other people in the basketball world
to not go public and talk about
mental health at all. Because I was
in line to make a couple hundred
million dollars. But I said, ‘Hey,
mental health is a conversation we
need to [have].’ And I am living
proof that people with anxiety not
only aren’t weak, but they can be
profoundly strong.” ¼
and 40 years old. White looks
comfortable fighting on the
outside, not surprising given his
seven-foot wingspan. But his
takedown defense remains raw.
White is an elite athlete,
though, and one who swears,
because he did not put on much
NBA mileage, that he has the
body of a man three or four
years younger than his actual
age. “It’s not just that level,”
says Nelson. “It’s the work ethic
that goes with it. When you’ve
been a professional athlete, you
know what it means to train. And
Royce is putting in the work.”
Many who don’t quite
understand the concept have
asked White: Anxiety disorder
cut short your NBA career, so how
is the prospect of getting smashed
in the face not more anxiety-
inducing? He has a response at
the ready: “Anxiety doesn’t work
in a linear, boxed-in fashion. Some
people are anxious with spiders.
Some people are anxious in dark
rooms. Some people don’t like being
around other people. Some people
need to be around other people. It’s
pretty individual.”
In other words, White feels
confident that his anxiety will
not take a toll on his fighting or
the pressure that comes from
competing in a combat sport. While
he still prefers not to f ly, he’ll get
on a plane if he has to. And above
all, in this, the ultimate individual
sport, he’ll handle it himself,
without coaches, executives and
teammates making judgments
about him and decisions for him.
As a fighter, White draws
inevitable comparisons to Lesnar:
both from Minnesota, both
heavyweights, both converts from
another sport. But Lesnar, a former
NCAA All-America wrestler, entered
the UFC with a combat-sports
background. The more instructive
comp might be Greg Hardy: the
former NFL star who was banished
from the league for domestic
violence and took up MMA. He’s
fought five times in the UFC and
done well. (There are less successful
converts, too. Johnnie Morton
turned to MMA after he retired
as an NFL wide receiver. In his
first and only pro fight, he was not
only carried out of the arena on a
stretcher after a first-round KO, but
he also tested positive for elevated
testosterone levels.)
White could have made his
MMA debut by now, but he’s been
holding out for a big-time opponent
in a big-time venue with a big-time
outfit, ideally the UFC. Most likely,
though, he’ll take his first fight later
this year with a regional promotion.
Dana White, the UFC chieftain,
30 SPORTS ILLUSTRATED
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