Royce White, who was selected in the first-round of the 2012 NBA Draft, won the Republican primary for a senate seat in Minnesota.
After a very public battle with anxiety highlighted by his fear of flying, it became difficult for White to ever get on the court during his professional career.
Even hearing your name called in the NBA draft is no easy task, and White did have an impressive collegiate career in the Big 12 for Iowa State. He also had success while playing in Canada, but he never reached anywhere near his full potential in the NBA.
White, who was an outspoken advocate for mental health policy and also a general critic of the league, only played nine minutes across three games in the NBA. He never recorded any points, rebounds, assists, steals, or blocks.
In fact, per Stathead, his career Player Efficiency Rating (PER) ranks as the worst of any first-round pick ever selected in the NBA Draft. He also had the lowest Box Plus-Minus (BPM) of any first-round pick since 2004.
JUST IN: Royce White, a former NBA star and current devotee of ex-President Donald Trump, won the Minnesota Republican Party’s Senate primary on Tuesday. https://t.co/y9682g9Agh
— HuffPost (@HuffPost) August 14, 2024
Yet despite the lack of success on the court, White was still recently labeled as a “former NBA star” after his primary win.
The nominee, who lost a Republican primary in an attempt to unseat Rep. Ilhan Omar for congress in 2022, is considered unlikely to win the general election against incumbent Senator Amy Klobuchar.
He has raised some concerns due to many of his recent comments, such as stating that women are “too mouthy” to former media executive and currently imprisoned felon Steve Bannon.
White has elsewhere created controversy due to comments about Jewish people, the LGBTQ community, and he has leaned into several concerning conspiracy theories.
His campaign finances have also come into question, and independently, he reportedly faces a potential jail sentence due to unpaid child support.
All of this to say, even with politics aside, it was easy for sports fans to wonder about the use of the word “star” when describing White’s NBA career.
Fans didn’t agree with this characterization
Calling Royce White a "former NBA star" is certainly a choice.
For context, Royce White, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden all have the same number of career points in the NBA. https://t.co/qYhAm5vR26
— Mitch Howe (@RealMitchHowe) August 14, 2024
Royce White played nine minutes in the NBA. He's not a former NBA star. https://t.co/Dg59jIMY3w
— Andrew Ungvari (@DrewUnga) August 14, 2024
Me and Royce White have scored the same amount of points in the NBA. He is no star. https://t.co/FkFqMesSnB pic.twitter.com/G7jHTpQ9qK
— Wells P (@Wells_P) August 14, 2024
Fun Fact: "NBA Star" Royce White and I have the exact same amount of career NBA points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks.
ZERO. https://t.co/CgHKB87E2P pic.twitter.com/aAcjlHvPKz
— Qasim Rashid, Esq. (@QasimRashid) August 14, 2024
The funny thing about calling Royce White a “former NBA star” is if he was truly that, he wouldn’t be doing what he is.
— jennay sehkwa (@Beatlove91) August 14, 2024
“NBA star” is quite the exaggeration
— Ricky Chu (@RikDaddy) August 14, 2024
“Star” might be a stretching it HuffPo.
He was drafted.
Played 3 NBA games.
— Yo Still T.W.I.T.T.E.R. (@YoNewChi) August 14, 2024
The funny thing about calling Royce White a “former NBA star” is if he was truly that, he wouldn’t be doing what he is.
— jennay sehkwa (@Beatlove91) August 14, 2024
"former NBA star" Royce White played in three NBA games and did not score a point in his NBA career. https://t.co/kd8vhgzEeP
— Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) August 14, 2024
