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At one point in his life, Delonte West was one of the most promising young guards in all of basketball.
After leading a legendary backcourt at St. Joseph’s alongside Jameer Nelson, West went to the Boston Celtics with the 24th pick in the 2004 NBA Draft.
He earned the starting job with the Celtics in his second season before being traded to Seattle and eventually Cleveland, where he started for a Cavs team that reached the Eastern Conference Finals.
Sadly, West was out of the league by 2012 and has repeatedly fallen on hard times due to drug and alcohol abuse that began when he was just a teenager.
Delonte West Arrested After Allegedly Robbing Man Of $23
According to a report from TMZ, West was arrested again last month on charges of assault and robbery, and the details are incredibly sad.
Law enforcement told TMZ that they received a call from a person who reported getting robbed and assaulted in Belle Haven, Virginia before the culprit ran off.
Police then arrived on the scene to find West, the suspect, just across the street. He was then taken into custody without further incident, and he posted a $1,000 bond. Police say the total amount taken from the victim was around $23.
West is due back in court in March, although his attorney says that West is innocent and is using the incident to better himself.
Brandon Sloane, West’s attorney, told TMZ he is “proud of Delonte as he has used this process to seek out help and been released on bond to a treatment facility. We all look forward to his continued progress, and Delonte is particularly appreciative of the numerous thoughts and well wishes over the last several weeks.”
Unfortunately, this type of incident has become the norm for West.
Former Dallas Mavericks majority owner Mark Cuban has worked with West, who finished his career with the Mavs, on several occasions to get him into a rehab facility.
Each time, however, it seems West ends up back on the wrong end of the law. Here’s hoping this is the time that West truly commits to getting healthy and fixing his life.