https://twitter.com/JJ_RipCuba/status/747128297985802240
This picture of former first-round pick Delonte West holding a sign and a change cup presumably begging for money on the side of a Maryland road is in the infancy stages of going viral.
Understandably, blogs are jumping to the conclusion that the 32-year-old ex-NBA guard, who struggles with bipolar disorder, is now homeless and off his meds. This isn’t unreasonable, despite an estimated $16 million in career NBA earnings, considering earlier this year West was spotted outside a Houston Jack in the Box wearing no shoes and a hospital gown over his flannel shirt looking genuinely disillusioned. Also, it’s been reported that when Delonte married his second wife Caressa back in 2013 (one year after his departure from the NBA), she moved into his $1 million home that was filled with space heaters because he couldn’t afford a new-hot water heater.
However, a small contingency of news outlets, including the one below, claim that Delonte was simply helping a homeless paralyzed man get some cash.
#Update: Delonte West reports he is not homeless. He Was actually helping the homelesshttps://t.co/iL3ClLWa2Z pic.twitter.com/UGLzERmNsB
— DC Maryland Virginia (@DMVFollowers) June 27, 2016
This is not totally out of the question either, seeing as Delonte has been known to be generous to a fault. He has reportedly paid for his mother to get her Master’s degree, bought a home for his brother in Maryland, and put his sister through college.
Hopefully this news source that I’ve never heard of is right and Delonte is just being a bro doing bro things. It would break my damn heart if that’s not the case.