When Royce O'Neale walked through the doors and into the gym at Harker Heights High School in January, there were no heavy emotions, no moments of joyful tears. Instead, there were smiles with laughter aplenty, which match up perfectly with O'Neale's infectious personality.
The gym that genuinely sparked the dream of playing in the NBA for O'Neale, he returned to his alma mater for a special occasion. Harker Heights was honoring the greatest player in the school district by retiring his jersey that night.
"It had been a long time coming, but because of COVID situations, it had to get pushed back," O'Neale said. "It's just a crazy surreal feeling. … It means a lot. Being the first one in the (Killeen) school district history, that'll never be taken away from me."
Usually a night reserved for smiles, signatures, and speeches, O'Neale knew his family well enough that there were sure to be some tears in the crowd — most notably coming from his mother, Deborah.
The story of Royce and Deborah has not been told often — and probably for good reason as words cannot accurately describe how close the two of them are. But so special is their relationship that O'Neale already knew that his mom would be crying, smiling, laughing, and waving as he was honored.
"She was definitely trying not to cry, but she did," O'Neale said with his signature smile. "She's just so proud. … But she's proud every day, not just that day, and that's what matters. She was there every step of the way, and she still is to this day. … I think she was more happy than I was."
While the night was a celebration, it was also a moment of reflection — understanding just how far he'd come from a high school basketball player in Killeen, Texas, to the Utah Jazz's starting forward on a lucrative contract.
"Growing up, I always had the vision. … I always had the dream that I would be where I'm at today," he said. I said I was going to try and be in the NBA one day, and now I am. Once I got the opportunity, I wanted to take advantage of it."
To say O'Neale's journey to the NBA has been challenging would be a massive understatement.
Unranked out of high school, O'Neale signed with the University of Denver, where he played for two seasons, resulting in an all-WAC season his sophomore year. But wanting to be closer to his family and some ailing family members, O'Neale gambled on himself and returned home to play for Baylor.
A star for the Bears, O'Neale made his mark in the Big 12 due to his grinding style of play defensively and ability to shoot the three — traits that should've made the lengthy 6-foot-5 forward a legitimate NBA prospect.
Alas, that wasn't in the cards.
"Being undrafted, it just sticks with you," O'Neale said. "I wasn't going to let it end there. … It was about getting a chance to prove myself at some point. I didn't care where I had to go to play, I just wanted to play."
O'Neale refused to give up on a dream that began to take shape at Harker Heights High School years earlier. Instead of giving up hope of playing in the NBA, O'Neale went overseas for two years — playing for MHP Riesen Ludwigsburg (Germany, 2015-16) and Herbalife Gran Canaria (Spain, 2016-17).
He then signed with Žalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania) but never got a chance to suit up for them. Before the 2017 season, O'Neale got his big break when he played for the Jazz summer league team, making an immediate impact the way he did in college: defense and three-point shooting.
Utah thought highly enough of O'Neale's short tenure that they signed him for the rest of the season. After two seasons coming off the bench, O'Neale became a full-time starter and hasn't looked back since then. His willingness to defend the opposing team's best wing player while still being a knock-down shooter from deep made him the ideal complement to Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.
"I just want to thank the Jazz for giving me the opportunity and having faith in me," he said. "Without them, I don't know where I'd be. But because of them, I know I'm where I should be, and I'm happy to be here."
Now a key component on one of the best teams in the NBA, there's reason to believe that his journey is complete. He can live comfortably for the rest of his life, take care of his loved ones, and play basketball at the highest level.
But for those who know O'Neale, those who know the trials and tribulations he's been through to just get to this point, the journey is nowhere complete — and he'll be the first to tell you.
"We all know what we are playing for, we know what we want," O'Neale said. "We want to be the best. … We want to win a title."