Rising from the ashes and falling back is a constant in the life of former NBA player Delonte West. The 38-year-old man went from being a world basketball figure to falling into the world of drugs. Now, at 38 years old, he assures that he has already recovered and thinks about taking up the orange ball again.
“I have kids. I am finding jobs. People can help me as much as they can, but you know, as a man, I have to do what I have to do for my babies, ”he said last June when approached by a local media outlet.
The former teammate of LeBron James in the NBA fell into drug addiction and suffered from several mental health problems after his final retirement from basketball in 2015. Images of him were popularized on social networks showing police arrests, street fights and even begging.
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West was born in 1983 in Washington, DC. He himself recounted that his family was poor and that at school they made fun of the color of his red hair. He made the Saint Joseph varsity team and from there they signed him to the Boston Celtics. It was 2004.
The man remained, for eight seasons, at the top of the NBA. He played 432 games in Boston, Seattle, Cleveland and Dallas. He reached a turnover of 16 million dollars. He retired from the courts in 2015 after finishing his stint in the G-League.
In September 2020, some images were released that showed the deterioration of the player. The man was living on the street. Mark Cuban, owner of the Mavericks, lent him a hand and paid for his treatment at a rehabilitation center.
The former player has acknowledged that he suffers from bipolar disorder, that during his childhood he tried to commit suicide and that basketball was the sport that saved him.
“I couldn’t take it anymore and I was convinced, it was time to commit suicide. I decided: it had to be that night. In my room and whatever… Then I heard an inner voice and made a deal with God: ‘If you help me survive and get out of this and play basketball, I’ll make sure to glorify your name,’” West recalled.
After his rehabilitation treatment, the former player reappeared on social networks and announced that he wants to enter the 3×3 competition, a tournament that is made up of old NBA legends. It was March 2023 and everything seemed to be ready for his return, however, his project was left in doubt because last June he was the protagonist of a video in which he was seen being detained by the police and begging. .
2023-07-18 23:56:09
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