Mark Cuban reveals Delonte West is still struggling: “He’s gotta want to help himself first. I’ve tried. I know it’s tough for him. Addiction is awful, mental illness is awful, but he’s at a point in his life where he’s gotta wanna be helped.”

30 comments

1. Yep it’s just like the homeless situation in cali. You can build housing but it won’t matter , a lot of these people are sick and cannot make the right decisions. In the past they would have been forced into psychiatric facilities. They will not seek help on their own its been proven

2. God I hope we don’t ever have a read a headline about West dying or something. Hope he can get more help.

3. > Earlier this year though Delonte was seen panhandling on Richmond Highway in Virginia begging for money

   According to Basketball Reference Delonte made $16.2 million. What the hell did he blow it all on?

4. Damn, that’s really sad to hear. But not a complete surprise based on statistics surrounding addiction recovery. All the attention from being a former player and the fall from that peak of playing in the NBA can’t help.

   I wish him the best 🙏

5. Can’t believe people were in other threads were criticizing Cuban saying he wasn’t doing enough. Despite having zero obligations and owing him nothing the guy fucking went and picked up Delonte personally, got him a place to stay, sent him to rehab, AND got him a job. What else do you want him to do? Be at his side 24/7 and babysit him? Delonte is a grown ass man. At some point you just have to stop enabling people and let them face the consequences of their own actions.

6. You can lead a donkey to water, but you cant make him drink

7. cannot help those who refuse to help themselves

8. In that recent video, he said he has early MS? And also an earlier diagnosis of bipolar. Sounds like it’s not just addiction alone but also a slew of mental issues. Maybe he was just drunk, but he seemed very dissociated in the video, as if he had impaired cognition. Very sad.

9. I am NOT saying Cuban or anyone else needs to do more, I just want to point out that often the nature of mental illness especially severe addiction and depression is that it makes you not want to help yourself, not see yourself as worth saving, see no reason to put effort into surviving or getting better etc and often times those closest to the sick person will get frustrated and leave and because no matter what they do or how much they give, no matter what external stuff changes, it does not change that lack of desire to survive. I Really feel for West and all those who are trying to help him because there is not an easy or right answer in most of these situations. Get well soon Delonte!

10. I saw Delonte a couple weeks ago here in the DC area. He was completely strung out talking to himself on the side of the road. It was surreal and extremely sad to see someone with that much success fall so far.

11. guys idk…some of the responses on here, as someone whose brother struggled hard with addiction and we are a totally normal regular middle class family, like boringly normal, are really upsetting for me to read. i know this is the internet but you guys can do better. just say nothing and scroll by instead of including your take about how all addicts are losers who should be left on the street to die or should be institutionalized. if either of those had happened to my brother he wouldn’t be succeeding and living his best life right now. this is real life guys. some of you really show how you just smash the keyboard all day and don’t have any thought for any other person out there.

12. Addiction is complex. Recovery is complex. It’s a grey area and while Cuban did his best, it’s still as misunderstood as any disease out there. The paradigm needs to change. It’s just not as simple as checking yourself into rehab and then getting out. I suggest looking into Gabor Mate for more on how to deal with addiction. There are deeper roots that need to be addressed.

13. As sad as it is, Mark is absolutely right. Delonte has to wanna be helped. First step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one

14. I’m sorry but there is ZERO excuse for going broke after making 16 fucking million throughout your career. Most people don’t see a quarter of that in their lives. Addiction, mental health, whatever the bullshit excuse is, there is no reasonable explanation for blowing that kind of money. Nobody put those drugs in him except himself.

15. Mark Cuban is doing the job the NBAPA is “suppose” to be doing here with Delonte. The ugly truth about Delonte and the NBA will one day come out and its not as simple as just chalking it up to “addictions” just saying.

16. Anyone criticizing Cuban for this either has zero experience with addiction (self, family, close friend) or is lacking brain cells. Coming from somebody that was in active addiction for 11 years and has been clean for 8, it is 100% impossible to help somebody get clean until they want to be clean.

    Sadly, some people never get to that point, but that doesn’t mean that dragging them in kicking and screaming will do anything except buy them a few months of fake sobriety only to be immediately followed up by the most dangerous relapse of their life because their tolerance will be so low.

17. When it comes to mental health/illness: It’s not your fault, but, it is your responsibility.

18. Maybe people that has experience with mental health can chime in

    You can’t do things for them especially if they don’t do it themselves

19. I mean he’s absolutely right ..he’s got to want it you can do everything in the world for Delonte but if he doesn’t truly want to get clean there’s nothing you can do

20. At this point I honestly just want this story to stop coming up so often. Let the man live his life and find his peace on his own. It may happen, it may not, but it’s his journey and it’s weird that people keep trying to generate content off of him.

21. can’t help those that won’t help themselves

    hope he digs his way out but you can’t force anyone to do stuff, they gotta want it

22. Lol I JUST saw and spoke to him recently! He just hangs out in VA currently it seems, real nice guy! Told me “never stop running” when I asked any take away from playing in NBA, and I DEF asked him if he hooked up with Lebron’s mom….he told me he didn’t do it LOL [Dat sign doe](https://imgur.com/a/uLbmdQo)

23. Junkies are junkies man. Shits tough and you hope that bro finds his spark again. Because he seems like a good soul

    But if he wasn’t a former NBA player. People would be saying really vulgar shit and wouldn’t care at all

24. He’s currently 39… if he makes it to 45 he can start receiving a pension from the NBA which will be $19,000 per year.

    If he makes it to 50 years of age, then it gets bumped to $29,000 per year.

    [Source](https://inf.news/en/sport/273dd42aa3ec3565fbe4aee8724da543.html)

25. Picture in front of the no loitering sign is perfect

26. When I beat addiction I came to the realization of mind over matter. To think a simple substance could be stronger than my own mind and overpower me infuriated me. I never became addicted to anything ever again. 7 grams of mushrooms also helped.

27. I’ve been at this point with my older brother for about 10 years. It’s sad to see him waste away.

28. Sadly I’m waiting for the Delonte West is dead notification… seems inevitable

29. The homeless crisis in a nutshell

30. I hate this so much