Despite being drafted by the Houston Rockets at 16th overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, Royce White never took the court for Houston. In fact, despite being one of the most interesting prospects around the draft and showing plenty of potential, White never played much in the NBA. After a brief stint in the G-League his rookie season, he landed two back to back 10-day deals with the Sacramento Kings in 2014. When those ran out, so did his NBA career.

It appears Royce White has new plans to be a professional athlete, however. According to Greg Rosenstein of ESPN, White has been training for a little over half a year to gear himself up for a shot at an MMA career. He even recently released a book titled “MMA x NBA: A Critique of Modern Sport in America.”

White is confident that he will find success in the world of Mixed Martial Arts. At 6-foot-8 and currently 250 pounds, he has all the physical makings of a UFC star. One of the more notable aspects of the scouting from his college days was the attention garnered by his massive hands. This is one of many advantages he has heading into the sport, and he knows it.

“I'm one of the best athletes in the world. Among the NBA community, part of my appeal as a draft prospect was my unique size, athleticism, vision and that I probably have one of the 10 biggest set of hands in the NBA. I think all of those things will translate beautifully to the UFC.”

A daily struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder coupled with a fear of flying left White essentially exiled from playing basketball in the NBA. With a renewed determination, though, Royce has another chance to be the competitor he always was.