To describe former NBA player Delonte West’s life after the NBA as rocky would be an understatement. There are tons of cautionary tales about failing to manage your money wisely, and keeping up with your mental health, and he is certainly one of those tales.
West was recently seen in videos on twitter practicing basketball and putting some shots up. He looked pretty enthusiastic on the floor and apparently had some great workouts. This led many to believe he is overcoming his battle with his mental health issues.
Delonte West back on a basketball court 🙏
(h/t @AhnFireDigital ) pic.twitter.com/872DVrOxIy
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 17, 2022
Furthermore, after doing good in his basketball workouts, West is reportedly aiming to join Ice Cube’s ‘BIG 3’ basketball league, which is famous for taking former professional and college players and allowing them to play a 3 versus 3 style of hoops.
This isn’t the Delonte West many remember, unless you just woke up from a comatose state that you’ve been in since 2012. West has come a very long way in overcoming his mental health issues and getting back on his feet.
Before being back on the court and trying to play the game he loves, West had been in the public eye for all the wrong reasons. Basketball fans expressed a lot of concern for him.
In 2016, a picture surfaced on twitter of West in a hospital gown on the side of the road begging for money in Houston. Later that year fans saw him panhandling in Maryland. Many speculated he was broke and was looking for money to support a drug and alcohol addiction. Though West himself denied these rumors, a lot of fans didn’t believe him.
In 2020 West was reportedly beaten up on a highway in Washington, D.C., and that video went viral on twitter. In the video, West was arrested and detained on the sidewalk, and was visibly under the influence of drugs as he was seen handcuffed and speaking erratically to the officer recording him.
https://youtu.be/aSde72aNLj0
He also was seen missing teeth and only having pants on while looking lost. This was the video that opened up everyone’s eyes to the fact that his problems extend beyond being an athlete who mishandled his career.
Shortly after that video went viral, some athletes showed concern for him, and some volunteered to get him help or personally offered to help themselves, most notably NBA superstar and former teammate LeBron James and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban.
The Sun reports that Delonte West’s most recent public issue was on Oct. 19, when he was “arrested allegedly resisting arrest in Boynton Beach, Florida.” But he hasn’t had any reported public or criminal issues since.
According to a brief story from Playmaker LeBron “Told his business partner Maverick Carter that he wants West in Los Angeles, and that he will ‘spend whatever money it takes’ to get his former teammate back on his feet.’”
Mark Cuban actually found Delonte West and picked him up at a gas station in September last year and eventually helped West get to a rehab center.
What many ignored was that Delonte West previously opened up about dealing with his “Lifelong battle with bipolar disorder” as Forbes magazine would describe it.
Once again, showing the value of mental health, and that athletes suffer like anyone else when they are facing mental health challenges. It’s often worse for celebrities who are afraid of being judged and don’t seek the proper help needed. West had been battling mental health issues for a long time, and it seems that it finally got the better of him in retirement.
West going to a rehab center was just another step in him trying to combat his mental health issues and become a better person.
We don’t know if the mental problems West has dealt with are in the past just yet, but if what we are seeing right now is any indication of his progress, he is on the right path to salvation. With a second chance to play basketball and live a happy and productive life.
Delonte West working towards Big3 comeback story after falling on hard times https://t.co/wBHxJ1c9VA pic.twitter.com/60VLyUAJm3
— New York Post (@nypost) February 19, 2022
When he was healthy, West averaged just under 10 points and three assists per game, and shot just under 45 percent from the field for his career. He played alongside LeBron James and was a valuable player for the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics as a solid role player for contending teams and was generally a well-respected player in the league.
With numbers and a track record like that, as long as West continues to stay on top of himself, it’s only a matter of time before he’s fully back on his feet and doing what he loves in some capacity.
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