Former NBA player Delonte West was arrested outside a Florida Police Station.
Delonte West and Jameer Nelson put together an NCAA tournament run for the ages, which resulted in both making the NBA the following season, with West getting selected by the Boston Celtics in the 2004 NBA Draft. West's "glory days" in the NBA came as a key member of the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2000s, starting at shooting guard for the team and providing much-needed playmaking and scoring support to James. Unfortunately, his career came to an end in the 2011-2012 season as a member of the Dallas Mavericks. Later on, it would then be revealed that Delonte suffered from Bipolar Disorder and that this disorder had a hand in rendering West an alcoholic while being homeless for some time.
One day, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban came across Delonte and started to provide some aid for West to be able to rehabilitate his life. West was even reportedly working at a rehab center, and the road to recovery seemed to be well within reach until today. West was reportedly banging on police doors with a bottle of vodka and a can of beer in hand, profanities were yelled from West's side as well.
The rise and fall of NBA players have been well-documented over the years, but situations such as Delonte's should implore the NBA to look into a different topic, mental health. West may suffer from an addiction, but is also clinically diagnosed with a mental illness, one which could have very well been aggravated by the pressures of being an NBA player.
Recommended Articles
This is not to say that this is the league's fault, but the players who play in this league are starting to open up regarding struggles with mental health. Instances like Delonte West's serve as a reminder that we have a long way to go in terms of providing help to members of the NBA brotherhood because while it may not happen to many, West is an example of how the lack of attention to the problem can be detrimental.
