Things have been extremely tough for former NBA guard Delonte West, who retired from the league in 2012. West was in the league for 8 years and was a good player in his time, but since his retirement, things spiraled quite a bit for him. Having struggled with substance issues and mental health problems for a lot of his life, West seemingly found himself homeless in 2016.
He was helped by several people, LeBron offered his support, and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban went and picked West up from a gas station. Things were expected to get better for West, but he had a drunken interaction with police during which he said some wild things, and it seemed that his recovery had taken a hit.
In a surprising update after that, earlier in the year, West was seen at the tryouts for the BIG3 league, but after reportedly getting snubbed on that front, West was once again spotted on the streets in Virginia, seemingly begging for money.
https://twitter.com/TheShadeRoom/status/1535753058956652544
“Roommates let’s keep former NBA player Delonte West in our prayers. Looks like he was spotted on the side of the road in Alexandria, VA recently.”
https://twitter.com/EazyStunna/status/1535736404591919106
“Delonte West on Richmond highway in Virginia 2 days ago. What happened so quick? A few months ago I thought they were trying to get him into the Big3 league.”
https://twitter.com/AllEyezOnHaj/status/1533940866070585345
“I gave Delonte West $80 he ain’t even ask for it and the first thing he said was that he’s going to send the money to his kids in Dallas smh I’m praying for you champ.”
It’s sad to see that West is back in such a state again, after the effort that was made by so many people to help him get back on track again. The issues of mental health and, indeed, substance abuse are both big ones, and West’s case is a tragic example of how even those that make it to the top can sometimes not manage to escape their demons.
