Landon Buford
The Big Three was scheduled to be in New Orleans on Saturday. However, because of the Covid-19 protocol in Louisiana, they had to relocate to Dallas. As a result, the American Airlines Center played host to the event.
It has been two years since the last time the Big Three were in Dallas. But, like two years ago, there was action on the court and action in the post-game interviews. But, unfortunately, head coach Nancy Lieberman fell to the Killer 3’s 41 to 50. Lieberman and Royce White address the media after the loss.
During the question and answer session, I asked White to share his thought on Simone Biles’s decision to withdraw from competition at the Olympics due to mental health concerns.
White is an advocate for mental health and has been very outspoken about his anxiety since his time in college at Iowa State and his brief time with the Rockets in 2012. The Rockets took him in the first round, but his battle with anxiety cut his time in the NBA short.
“I think what Simone did was commendable. I always tell people the best antidote to anxiety & all the other mental conditions that people face is honesty. I think she did a great job of being honest. I think many people worldwide need to take a look in the mirror and be honest about who they are and the way they live their lives. And if they were in her shoes, would they have the courage to do what she did daily as a competitor and an athlete, but also at that moment where she decided to take a step back,” said White.
“It has been a wild eighteen months, and I think out of selfishness, people want to get back to normal as quickly as possible. But, we’re never going back to normal; it is not going to happen. You heard it here first. It is not going to happen. We are not going back to normal, and what was so typical about the way we were in the first place. So, I think she is right and when you go back, watch how they have to practice in that sport.”
He added, “The margin of error goes into that sport, and you see her tumbling, and if she says she fell off, that’s a real risk of danger for her in that sport. So, she should feel off, and we are all disappointed obviously in some way because we want to see her perform. But, for her and the American team to be successful, she is a human being first at the end of the day.”
The Big Three will be in Milwaukee next week as they continue their quest toward the Big Three Championship in the Bahamas.
