Athletes that make it to the NBA are generally perceived to be people that have made it in life, people that have found the ultimate success in life. However, there are only a few that can amass the sort of wealth that keeps them comfortable forever. A surprising and sad number of former athletes often end up losing their money and ending up broke later in life.
For example, Eddy Curry spoke about how it got so bad for him that his house was foreclosed. And perhaps the name that comes to everyone’s mind first when thinking about these issues is Delonte West. West had a really good career in the NBA, but he’s had issues since he retired and this had led to him having to live on the streets, in certain occasions.
West was recently spotted on the streets again by an NBA fan, who took the time to have a conversation with him, and his response would make anyone watching sad.
Delonte West: “Sometimes I forget I even played basketball.”
Fan: “Really? You forget that you was that n***a. But I remember, I remember when you was on the Cavs and then that LeBron sh*t was going on and then they sent you out to the Mavericks.”
Delonte West: “You know what, God knows what he’s doing. So it’s like if anything had happened differently, then me and you wouldn’t be sitting here talking… I’m clear, I don’t want to boogaloo. Bootyslam, you know what I’m saying? yeah, let the legend of sweat pants begin.”
Watching West in what is a state of intoxication and exhibiting a lack of coherence towards the end is tough viewing for just about anyone. Everything said and done, it’s evident that he still needs a lot of help and the hope is that he is able to find it before something really tragic occurs.
