Mark Cuban went out of his way to help former NBA player Delonte West as the latter battled drug addiction and mental health issues after his playing career ended. But despite several efforts to help West get back on the right path, Delonte's demons kept pulling him back to the dark side.
Frustrated, Cuban decided to step back and let the former first-round pick find his way back on his own terms. According to the former Mavs majority owner, it's brutal to see someone you care about continue to struggle despite doing everything to help.
"I thought we had him," said Cuban. "I thought we had him turned around. We sent him down to Jayson's place down in Florida. It's like a farm, Jayson Williams.'"
Mark sent Delonte to Jayson's rehab facility
Cuban first helped West in 2020 after photos of a homeless West surfaced online. He contacted the 9-year NBA vet and agreed to meet in Dallas. Mark made Delonte reconnect with his family and sent him to the Rebound Institute, a rehab facility in Palm Beach, Florida, owned and founded by former New Jersey Nets big man Jayson Williams.
Williams, who also battled with drug addiction in the past, even personally made sure that West was doing well while in his facility. But after an encouraging start, Delonte ran away and went back to his old ways. That happened more than once.
"It's like he's making progress, sending pictures," added Cuban. "Donte's emailing me, and I'm like, 'Oh yeah, we getting this,' and then Donte throws the sh** over the fence, and disappears. We bring him back again, making progress, this is it, same sh**...Only so much you can do. Mental illness is real. It is real, and you just don't wish it away. "
DeRozan admitted to suffering from depression during his prime
Mental illness isn't just real, it can affect anybody, not just players who lost their jobs like Delonte. In 2018, then Toronto Raptors superstar DeMar DeRozan posted a worrying seven-word tweet that got everyone worried .
"I wrote it down for the whole world to see. I grabbed my cellphone, opened Twitter, and typed, 'This depression get the best of me …' and hit send," DeRozan said . "I turned the phone on silent, closed my eyes, and lay back… It's one of them things that no matter how indestructible we look, we're all human at the end of the day. It's nothing I'm ashamed of."
Fortunately, DeRozan handled it well and was able to make a successful recovery. DeMar is still going strong in the NBA and is now playing for the Sacramento Kings. However, while some make it like Deebo, there are those who are like Delonte out there, still fighting to get their lives. We can only hope and pray that they will eventually find their way back.
Related: "You can't be p**syfooting around like that" - Shaquille O'Neal revealed how Delonte West chastised the Cavs coach for not holding LeBron James accountable
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