Delonte West, the ‘strangest soul in the NBA’, has once again been arrested and jailed in his particular career of self-destruction.
The 40-year-old former NBA player was arrested in Virginia after trying to escape from police officers who attempted to serve him with a warrant (over his violation of parole conditions) and resisting arrest.
Faifax Police located Delonte West in Groveton, Virginia, and the former Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks player was on the run.
A chase ensued and officers found him unconscious after losing sight of him during the pursuit.
Delonte West, who suffered a medical emergency (officers had to give him Narcan (naloxone) to recover from an alleged overdose), was transported to a hospital to regain consciousness and subsequently locked up in the Detention Center.
The fall to hell of Delonte West, the most tormented soul in the NBA
Delonte West came to the NBA from St. Joseph’s and was selected by the Boston Celtics as the 24th overall pick in the 204 draft. The point guard, who earned more than $16 million during his NBA career, played 432 games in the world’s best league and averaged 9.7 points; 3.6 assists and 2.9 rebounds before ending his career in 2012.
The former player, who suffers from bipolar disorder, has already been the protagonist of different scandals even during his playing days. For example, in 2009 he was arrested carrying multiple firearms, while in 2012 he was fined by the NBA itself for sticking his finger in Gordon Hayward‘s ear in the middle of a clash between the Mavericks and the Jazz.
In 2010 his name made headlines again when it was rumored that he was in a relationship with Gloria James, the mother of his former Cavaliers teammate LeBron James.
While in 2016 an image of him begging on the street alerted about the former player’s condition.
West himself assured that he was not destitute, but recalled his mental problems and how he was trying to fight the demons that continue to lurk around every corner.
In 2020, images of Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban picking up Delonte West at a gas station to try to help him went around the world.
In 2022 Delonte West had a tentative attempt to return to basketball by competing in the Big 3.