In Tuesday’s Minnesota primary, conservative populist and former NBA player Royce White defeated Navy veteran Joe Fraser to win the Republican nomination. In November, White is expected to face Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
After revealing mental health concerns and stating he did not want to go to away games with the team, White—who the Houston Rockets selected in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft—never saw action on the court. In 2013, he signed numerous 10-day contracts with the Sacramento Kings, appeared in three games, but was ultimately released before spending several years playing abroad.
The 33-year-old White, a vocal supporter of mental health awareness in sports, thought about a career in mixed martial arts but was unsuccessful in his lone professional match in 2021.
Numerous remarks made by White on social media have been criticized for being disparaging. White contends that, as a Black candidate, he can expand the party’s base by winning over voters of color in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region and other disenchanted parties with conventional politics. White ran and failed in the GOP primary for a U.S. House seat in 2022.
He is anticipated to be a significant underdog against Klobuchar, a senator from 2007 until the present.
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