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Mike Jensen: Delonte Wests peers eager to step up and help after troubling videos

Source: Fort Worth Star-Telegram / Getty

Former NBA player Delonte West was arrested two weeks ago in Fairfax County, VA, and the 39-year-old now faces a variety of charges such as vehicle trespassing and eluding the police. According to TMZ Sports, local law enforcement was contacted on October 15 when witnesses spotted West trying to enter a vehicle that was not his. But the scene apparently became hostile once officers arrived.

West was still in the vicinity and turned “aggressive” when the cops tried to arrest him, per the Fairfax County Police Department. An FCPD spokesperson says that West then bolted, but the officers were able to track him down and apprehend him. West was summarily charged with vehicle trespassing, entering a vehicle, public intoxication fleeing from law enforcement. Records show he was then released from custody the next day.

West’s latest arrest marks another setback for the former hooper. He was a first-round draft pick in 2004, but it was four years later that the Washington D.C. native was officially diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

After an eight-year tour in the NBA, he played two years of international ball before. In March 2015, West joined the NBA G League as a member of the Texas Legends for his second stint with the squad. But a season-ending injury in April effectively ended his career for good.

“It’s definitely been a spiritual journey you know, dealing with being bipolar,” West told ABC News this past April. “A missed shot or lost game, it can turn it into a spiraling snowballing depression type of thing where, you know, to where it takes me hours or it took me hours just to leave the gym.”

Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has been one of West’s longtime supporters. “Mr. Cuban, he’s been a guy in my life since I met him… He wanted me to be the best person I can be,” the baller said. In fact, West said the billionaire offered to support him for a bit in order for West to focus on his wife and their two children.

“[Cuban] said, ‘hey, man, listen, I’m giving you a break away from the game,'” West stated. “I’m going to handle your finances, you know, give you some time to raise these two babies…. “He said, ‘man the most important thing is that we get you feeling OK with yourself and being OK with life outside of basketball,’ because that’s the father my children need.”

And as recently as this past July, West was reportedly prepping for another return to basketball with Ice Cube’s league, BIG3. But it appears Cuban was aware of another hiccup in West recovery prior to this new arrest. TMZ Sports asked Cuban about West three weeks ago, and the Shark Tank investor seemed discouraged when answering.

“I’ve tried, and I know it’s tough on him, but I wish him all the best,” Cuban told TMZ Sports in early October. “It’s a struggle for him… I mean, addiction is awful. And mental illness is awful. He’s at the point in his life where he’s got to want to be helped.”