How Delonte West Now Lives Is Heartbreaking! – Former NBA Athlete Delonte West Got Beat Up In The Streets
"I've never shared this like this," Delonte West said. The rise and fall of former NBA athlete West isn't a pretty one, nor is it anything his peers or loved ones want to see. One might ask the question, "Well, why isn't anyone helping him?" The NBA would receive tons of backlash if they hadn't already attempted to provide some assistance to West. The real inquiry is, how do you support West? While there isn't a direct answer to that, knowing how he fell so deep into the abyss is one way to learn how to start providing him with the proper attention he needs.
The West Story
TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts, has had plenty of talented players grace the court. From "The Big Ticket," Kevin Garnett, to Kyrie Irving and Ray Allen, the Celtic faithful have had the pleasure of seeing some special players over the years.
Perhaps none of them have been as unique as West. More talented, yes, but everything surrounding the player, including that patented birthmark on his lip to the wild rumors of what he reportedly did with a teammate's mother, make West as intriguing as they come.
A Harsh Reality For West
West's professional career in the NBA would end after the 2011-12 season. After which he would make several attempts to play oversees. He spent two years abroad before returning to America in 2015 to try his hand at an NBA G League team, the Texas Legends. But that only lasted one season.
After some time away from the game that garnered him national attention, disturbing photos of the player surfaced on the web that depicted West as homeless and not all the way there mentally. It was sad, but former teammates spoke out about it.
Former Teammate Daniel Gibson Speaks On West
Throughout his NBA career, West played for a handful of teams, including the Cleveland Cavaliers. While in Cleveland, he teamed up with the likes of LeBron James and Daniel Gibson. While there was a considerable rumor involving West and another Cavs teammate, someone on the team noticed something "off" about West even then.
In a recent TMZ run-in, Gibson spilled the beans on what he noticed about West while they played together. "I do know when he was playing ball, he did have mental issues," Gibson explained. Could this insight have anything to do with West's tumultuous downfall?
The Hope Of Returning To The League...
During West's time with the Texas Legends in 2015, he hoped to make an NBA comeback. It was one night after a game that West sat down at the Cheesecake Factory with plenty of optimism.
"I'm enjoying life," he said. “Ain’t nobody going to take that from me no more. Yeah, I had that mistake. But that was five years ago. We gonna talk about it every time someone wants to talk to me?" What happened five years ago was a "rumor" at the time, but he didn't want to talk about it anymore. West's focus was on returning to the sport he loved.
Bullied In The Past
West had light skin and red hair growing up, which made him an easy target for taunts. Growing up in Prince George's County, he heard the sounds of children laughing at him for years.
Thankfully, West had an outlet in basketball that would help him conquer the hatred and bullying from his psyche. "I took all that and put everything into basketball," he said. "You can't laugh at this on the court." Still, relying on happiness from an outside source doesn't always go as planned.
Beginning To Go Downhill
While he had basketball to help him with his woes, West's living conditions weren't the best by far. His family went from home to home, but they lived "happy-poor," according to him. One day in the eighth grade, West hurt his leg badly enough to keep him from playing ball.
When this happened, he stopped going to school, so his mother sent him to live with his father. That's when things went downhill as he started swallowing pills and cutting himself. The smallest of things would send him into this self-harm mode, like not getting the latest Jordan shoes.
Making Up His Mind With His Back Against The Wall
Realistically, a person can only sustain so much pain before they let it take over or decide to act against it. For West, the future NBA player made up his mind one night in the children's hospital after getting treated for one of his attempts at his life. He knew the NBA is where he needed to go.
His first thoughts were to end his life in his room that night, but instead, he dropped to his knees and prayed. In his prayer, he told God that if he survived that night and went on to play professionally, he'd be sure to glorify his name.
A High School Stand-Out
After his prayer, the ball would start rolling in West's favor. He enrolled at Eleanor Roosevelt High his sophomore year. Things went smoothly in high school, as he would eventually go on to become the Washington Post's All-Met Player of the Year.
His JV coach, Glenn Farello, remembers a humbling moment from young West one day when Glenn was incredibly upset. "Coach, I'd like to apologize to you and all of my teammates. I feel I didn’t play to my capabilities tonight, and it’ll never happen again," West told Farello. That was one thing Farello always noticed about West, that he was harder on himself more than anyone else could be.
College Days at Saint Joseph's University
West would attend Saint Joseph's University where he would become a star. West attended the school from 2001 to 2004 and formed what was the best backcourt in the country alongside Jameer Nelson.
West's junior year saw him average 18.9 points, and 6.7 assists per game as he helped the team go 27-0 in the regular season. When March Madness arrived, the team made it to the Elite Eight and then West declared for the NBA draft.
The Start Of His NBA Career
While he flourished in college and high school, the NBA would prove to be different for West. With the 24th pick in the 2004 NBA draft, the Boston Celtics chose West, but his first season came with many injuries.
West would only see the court for a total of 39 games his rookie campaign, mostly coming off the bench. West picked up the slack in his following two seasons after coach Doc Rivers moved him from shooting guard to point guard. With the arrival of future Hall-of-Famer Rajon Rondo, the Celtics put their future in Rondo's hands and shopped West to the SuperSonics.
Landing With LeBron James
When the 2008-09 season came around, West found himself suiting up with LeBron James on the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was there that he took on an important role in helping James reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
He provided a decent amount of scoring that helped the team succeed when it mattered most. In his first season with the team, they were a series away from reaching the NBA Finals. There was no doubt West felt he would have a long and flourishing career in the league.
West's First Time Admitting His Mental Woes
It was during a preseason game in 2008 when West acted out of character. He went off on a game official, which made him realize he needed to take a step back.
He would take a leave from the Cavs to seek counseling and start taking medication. He also ended things with his first wife, only weeks after getting married. He felt a wave of heartache after that. "The ugly head started to show itself again," West, then 25, told reporters when he returned to Cleveland. "It's been haunting me my whole life, self-destructive behavior."
James' Mother Steps In
The season ahead of LeBron James' monumental decision to take his talents to South Beach (2009-10), a deadly rumor spread across the sports world. The rumor was that West had been sleeping with James' mother, Gloria, for some time. Reports were that James found out before a pivotal playoff game, thus breaking the team chemistry.
The Cavs would end up losing to the Celtics that year, and James left his home to form a super team. All of this because of a nasty rumor? Well, it may not have been false, and this is when people began highly questioning the sanity of West.
Caught With Weapons On The Beltway
On the night of September 17, 2009, a police officer pulled over West on Route 214 for an improper lane change as he rode his three-wheeled Can-Am Spyder motorcycle. When the cop approached West, he informed him that he had firearms on him.
On his waistband was as Beretta 9mm, a Ruger .357 magnum was on his leg, and a shotgun was inside a guitar case slung over his back. All of the weapons were loaded too.
The NBA Lockout And Reverting To Old Ways
The NBA had a lockout in 2011, which further pushed West to the edge. That's when he applied to work at Home Depot and even worked at a Brandywine furniture store for a while.
On Twitter, West tweeted obscure jokes such as, "Broke down in the ATM line," he tweeted one day. "25 cars behind me, and I already reached my daily limit... I'm broke [and] my cars broke. Where’s my therapist???" West later admitted he "heard the laughter again" like when he was younger. He began going back to the destructive way of living.
One Last Chance With The Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks would end up being the last NBA team to give West a shot. The stint would last less than a year during the 2011-12 season, as he ended up getting suspended two times.
The Mavericks waived him after the second suspension, but West still paid close attention to the team due to having an apartment overlooking the stadium. He would sadly watch from his balcony. "I cried every day, stopped eating," he said. "I felt I was so close. There was this perception of me because of one bad decision I made in Cleveland — I felt I was on the cusp of people letting it go."
Proposing With A Jumprope
As he was close to "letting it go," West found love amid the darkness. He met Caressa Madden, and the two became inseparable as they moved in together in West's million-dollar home in Fort Washington.
One winter, West's funds grew limited, and he couldn't even afford to fix the furnace. He had to boil water to give to Caressa (who was pregnant) a hot bath. That's also when he proposed to her by cutting off a piece of jump rope and tying it around her finger. "I'm broke, heat ain’t working, brain ain’t working right, but I love you," West recalls saying.
Roaming Around Texas In A Hospital Gown
After some years overseas, West returned to America, but no one kept tabs on the former NBA player. In 2016, photos surfaced of West roaming around Houston barefoot, only wearing a hospital robe.
TMZ reported that a fan asked, "Are you Delonte West?" to which he responded, “I used to be, but I'm not about that life anymore." Sadly, this wouldn't be the first time West gets pictured looking completely distraught and out of it. Later that year, another photo hit the web showcasing West panhandling in Maryland.
Those Close Tried Helping
When people see anyone in poor condition, that should trigger those close to that person to help. It's not like people saw West and didn't try helping the basketball player. The NBPA (National Basketball Players Association) has also provided a helping hand.
"[Danny] Ainge and the Celtics have given him a scouting job to go to games in the D.C. and greater East Coast region, sources said, but West has had mixed results due to fluctuating attendance," Shams Charania for The Athletic wrote. "His close friends and family have all stepped in whenever they could."
West Gets Beaten Up In The Streets
In a video that began circulating on the web on January 20, 2020, viewers get a glimpse into where West's life is currently. The footage shows him screaming, shirtless, and getting beat up in the middle of the street.
Sources later revealed that West instigated the fight in Washington, D.C., with a glass bottle attack. Still, the images hurt players in the NBA community and fans around the nation. While others have attempted helping West, perhaps his bipolar disorder and drug usage are too powerful to overcome. As far as what the future holds for West, there's no telling, but those close to him hope he finds solace before it gets too late.
