Delonte West has made perhaps just as many headlines as the NBA Finals itself in recent weeks, after he was found struggling on a street corner in Dallas by Mark Cuban, the well known Dallas Mavericks owner, and social media caught wind of what was really going on.
Now West, the former Dallas Maverick and Cleveland Cavaliers role player by way of St. Joseph’s College, where he starred along with fellow high-scoring guard Jameer Nelson, is said to be doing well, and back on the road to recovery.
It’s a huge positive development for West, whom Cuban has said he’s tried to help many times.
West has surpassed the “detoxing” part of his recovery from drug addiction, according to sources within the family, and now appears to be doing relatively well, according to a photo caption shared by the Mavericks owner on social media recently of West on horseback with a friend.
West was also said to be playing racquetball over the course of his recovery, hopefully sweating out those toxins and getting clean as part of his ongoing detox process.
Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you, Delonte West . A long, long , long way to go, but he has taken the first steps and shared these with all of us as a thank you for the love and support. pic.twitter.com/555twAEVDP
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) October 9, 2020
West was a first-round pick in 2004 who also played for the Celtics and the now-defunct Seattle Supersonics over his eight-year tenure in the National Basketball Association, having retired after the 2011-2012 season.
Outpouring of Support, Love for Delonte West on Social Media
With over 300,000 “loves” on Mark Cuban’s tweet, it’s clear that the basketball fan community is ecstatic to see the犀利士
new photo of what appears to be a healthier, happier Delonte West after the first leg of his rehab journey.
Already, several other high profile athletes have reached out to West to offer words of encouragement and support, including former New York Mets and New York Yankees All-Star and former World Series Champion Darryl Strawberry, who battled drug addiction over the course of his stellar MLB career.
Other well known former athletes have also expressed their support for West, as well as to Cuban for his continued reaching out to help the former Mavs guard, and for being the one who finally was able to get through to him and get him the help he needed.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed for more good news in the West saga going forward as he continues to go through the process of getting clean.
Proud of you #DelonteWest ??❤️Appreciate you @mcuban ??❤️ https://t.co/gmMYfhJGna
— Rick Fox (@RickFox) October 9, 2020
Delonte West Has Battled Mental Health Problems Since His Teenage Days
While the news of Delonte West’s mental health struggles has only popped up in recent months, the fact of the matter is that West has battled poverty and mental health issues for his entire life, according to various reports.
At age 14, West survived despite multiple attempts to take his own life.
Basketball became his refuge, his sanctuary, and the peace of mind he found from the game led him to star at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, PA.
You can learn more about the true, untold story of Delonte West in this piece from the website Clutch Points, and be sure to follow along for more updates as the Delonte West saga continues.
Also, check out his career highlights below, a fitting tribute to an underrated, high octane performer during his heyday in the Association:
