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Last year, Mark Cuban sold his Mavericks’ majority stake , though he still retained oversight over the team’s basketball operations under President and GM Nico Harrison. At the same time, Cuban was also helping ex-Mavs player Delonte West get back on his feet amid his struggles with substance addiction and mental health issues. However, he eventually decided to walk away from helping West, as he explained on the Club Shay Shay show with Shannon Sharpe.
“I thought we had [Delonte West] turned around,” Mark Cuban told Sharpe in the interview. “We sent him down to Jason Williams’ place in Florida… Only so much you can do… Mental illness is real.”
“I thought we had [Delonte West] turned around… We sent him down to Jason Williams’ place in Florida… Only so much you can do… Mental illness is real.”
Mark Cuban on helping Delonte West.
(via @ClubShayShay)pic.twitter.com/WU1sX7ozBG
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 26, 2024
The Mavericks’ ex-majority owner tries to do right
Ever since finding Delonte West panhandling at a gas station in 2020, Mark Cuban has tried his best to help his former player get his life back together. He helped him get into rehab, and even helped him land a job.
West had even tried out for Ice Cube’s Big 3 league in 2022, indicating his progress toward recovery.
However, it appeared that the ex-player still had serious trouble overcoming his struggles. After West left rehab multiple times in three years, Cuban decided to walk away for the time being.
“It’s a struggle for him,” the ex-Mavericks majority owner said on a separate interview on the “All The Smoke” podcast. “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.”
Cuban might have pulled the plug on helping out West for the moment, but he still wished him the best for his journey back from the pits of substance addiction.
“You know, he’s got to want to help himself first. I’ve tried. I know it’s tough on him, but I wish him nothing but the best,” he added.
Last June, Delonte West was arrested in Fairfax County, VA, as police served a warrant on him. He tried to escape, but the officers eventually caught up with him, and once they did, they found him unresponsive.
Based on his mugshot, West was still clearly unwell. Despite these setbacks, though, there remains hope for the ex-point guard to recovery, if he receives all the help he needs.
The former first-round pick had played eight years in the NBA, where he spent time with the Boston Celtics, Seattle Supersonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dallas Mavericks. During his career, he was a reliable point guard averaging 9.7 points and 3.6 assists per game.
He played his last season in the NBA for Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks during the 2011-2012 campaign.
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