Former NBA player Delonte West is living proof that the comeback is always greater than the setback.
For years, we’ve heard disturbing reports about the personal struggles that derailed his NBA career and they’ve only seemed to magnify since. Whether it was being unhoused, experiencing a brutal assault at the hands of an unidentified assailant, or his struggles with mental illness, it oftentimes felt like the bad news would never end.
The 37-year-old’s fortunes finally changed in September, however, after a troubling picture of him surfaced online. In it, West appears to be in pretty bad shape while holding a sign at an intersection.
As news of the picture began to circulate, West’s former coach Doc Rivers and other members of the NBA fraternity offered their help. But after West’s mother, Delphina Addison, begged Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban to track down her son, Cuban did exactly that and much more. He picked West up himself at a Dallas-area gas station and covered any related expenses to get the former Maverick the help needed.
In the months since, Cuban has respected West’s privacy as he undergoes treatment at a rehabilitation center, while also providing us with intimate glimpses into West’s recovery.
“Because we all want something to feel great about today, here is your Delonte West update,” he tweeted in November, along with pictures of West participating in kayaking and other extracurricular activities. “It’s still an uphill battle, but he is climbing!”
And now comes the news that according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, West is working at the same recovery center that’s allowed him to get his life back on track.
“Update on Delonte West,” Charania tweeted. “West now has a job at the Rebound therapy center in Flordia, which is the rehab facility he attended. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban reunited West with his mother in September and has stayed in close contact.”
You gotta love when the movie has a happy ending.
We wish Delonte continued success in his recovery and we’ll keep you in the loop as more details become available.
DISCUSSION
Nice to see a good news story, but also shows how much of a difference proper MH support and substance abuse treatment makes for people’s lives. Probably way cheaper than cycling them in and out of jail too.