Intervention: Mavs Owner Mark Cuban Banks Delonte West's Stay At Florida Rehab
DALLAS (CBSDFW) - Up until eight years ago, former NBA player Delonte West was at the top of his game. But after a couple videos showing a haggard, homeless West appearing under the influence went viral this year, it was time for a timeout.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban intervened, picking West up at a gas station this week. He even offered to pay for treatment at a drug rehabilitation facility, according to ESPN.
On Tuesday, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that West took Cuban up on that offer and has checked into a rehab facility in Florida.
It reportedly took Cuban sometime to reach the 37-year-old father of two. His attempt to help West came after TMZ published a photo of the former athlete panhandling in Dallas on Sept. 24.
After seeing the photo, Cuban reached out to West's mother, Delphina Addison, according to The Athletic. She told Cuban the best course of action was to find her son. Once Cuban was with West, he waited with the former NBA player in a Dallas hotel until Addison arrived.
West was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2008 and has publicly struggled financially in recent years. Countless former and current NBA players, as well as people from around the sports world, asked the public not to mock West after a video of him getting handcuffed by police in Washington, D.C., went viral in January.
During his time in the NBA, West was open about his bipolar disorder diagnosis. While with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008, West got into a heated argument with a referee during a preseason scrimmage. So heated that afterward, West admitted he "needed help" and agreed to go see a therapist.
"In a sense, you feel like a weaker man, because you have to raise your hand and ask for help," he said after being diagnosed by that therapist, according to Slate. "But I found out over the last week that it made me a stronger person. I came back focused, and with the help of some medicine and talking with people on a regular basis, I'm back in good spirits."
