It is the most significant signing in London Lightning history, not only because of the basketball talent but in the significant statement it makes off the court.

The National Basketball League of Canada team made it official Thursday with the announcement they signed former National Basketball Association first-round pick Royce White.

White was the first-round selection of the Houston Rockets, 16th overall in the 2012 NBA draft.

He was considered a can’t miss NBA prospect.

But he never played a game with the Rockets. White suffers from a mixture of generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks, and obsessive-compulsive disorder and there were some issues with how that aspect of his life was being handled.

He has since become a spokesperson and advocate on the issue.

On the basketball court White is a dominant player. His last year with Iowa State he averaged 13 points a game, nine rebounds and five assists. At 6-foot-8, 265 pounds he is a devastating mix of power, finesse and court awareness.

But even though he’s attended several NBA summer camps and training camps, he hasn’t played competitively for two years.

“It’s going to take three weeks for him to get into shape,” said Lightning coach Kyle Julius. “He’s ready to get back into it.”

White was in London more than a month ago to explore whether a deal was possible. The Lightning has been in training camp since last Friday. Short of a complete disaster, chances are White is going to take someone’s job. He’s also going to garner a lot of attention because of who he is and his history on and off the court.

While it’s all part of the business of professional basketball it’s a disruption.

Julius is not concerned about that kind of fallout because he believes in White’s strong character and his game.

“The thing with Royce specifically is his entire game is unselfish,” Julius said. “We put him in some five-on-five stuff and he made three or four passes within 10 minutes that we hadn’t even seen all training camp from players at that position . . . Royce has a team-first mentality.”

White is a measured, well-spoken individual. He’s proven he can play at an elite level. He would like to eventually return to the NBA and the Lightning would like to help reach that goal. White picked London to begin his comeback not just for the basketball but because of the support he got for his non-profit work from team ownership and the vibe he got from the community that does a lot of work with the issue.

“There’s misnomers about basketball levels,” White said. “The NBA has done a fantastic job of marketing their brand as being the standard for basketball and nobody can deny the elite level of American basketball. But no one can deny that there are players globally that are just as good, fewer maybe but just as good. There’s only so many players who can play in the NBA because there are only so many spots. Talent is everywhere . . . I could have played in a lot of places but this was more of a choice about the people in charge of this organization.”

Despite all the issues he has faced, White said his goal was always to return to the game.

“It never left my mind,” he said. “We were just searching for the right spot. There were plenty of opportunities and we always explored the possibilities that seemed the best. (London) right now is optimum.

“I am 10 hours from home (Minnesota.) There is a lot of family from back home that enjoy watching me play; that wants to see me play; that are anxious I haven’t been able to play for two or three years. It’s a perfect situation for them to come and enjoy this journey with me.”

There remains though that Sword of Damocles, the stigma of mental illness that often unfairly stereotypes an athlete; that causes an athlete to hide the problem rather than seek help.

White is open about his anxiety disorder. He has studied it, dissected it and taken it on. It isn’t something that can be explained in a few sentences.

“The shortest (description) I can give you is my anxiety has never been the issue,” he said. “Anxiety for anyone is a personal journey like battling cancer is a personal journey; like diabetes is a personal journey. I learned how to best navigate it long before anyone knew my name. The battle with my anxiety has never hindered me from playing this game. As coach (Julius) alluded to I had probably one of the best college seasons and I played the season with the same anxiety I had when I went to the NBA.”

It helps that illnesses like anxiety, depression and obsessive compulsive disorders are no longer ignored. Well-known individuals are no longer as reticent talking about the issue.

“The mental-health conversation, collectively, globally is gaining its own momentum. It has nothing to do with me. It has to do with a very real element of human existence that is becoming unavoidable,” White said. “Through science and continued development in science, we’re being allowed a peek into a place that we never existed . . . my hope is that path continues and that I can add any momentum I can to that on a global level.

“It’s been an incredible journey. Mental health is an astounding science and as far as humanity goes there isn’t a more important science . . . Now we’re taking a look at mental health and saying ‘is there any part of our life that isn’t determined directly by how we think and feel.’”

Some would consider White a roll of the dice for the Lightning.

“Not anymore,” Julius said. “When you first read about it, his leaving an NBA contract, yeah, it’s there, it happened . . . but after doing my research, talking to former teammates, talking to former coaches, getting to know him, absolutely no more roll of the dice. He’s here to get better. He’s here to play. He’s talking about staying in London for a significant amount of time. Now is just a matter of how long and how hard we can work to get him back into condition.”

Despite the rather twisted journey the 25-year-old has travelled, one thing has remained the same for him and that’s his love of the game.

“When you love the game, you love the game,” he said. “Nobody can take that away from you. No circumstance can take that away from you. I feel bad for the people who do allow their bad experience with professional basketball to taint their love for the game. It hasn’t with me.”