Former NBA guard Delonte West was arrested after he was accused of stealing $23.
According to TMZ, West was involved in the alleged incident in Belle Haven, Va., in December where he was identified as the suspect and was arrested last month. The former Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers player who has been arrested multiple times was reportedly released on $1,000 recognizance bond.
Complex noted that there wasn’t a clear report as to which agency was involved in West’s arrest, but the fashion magazine noted that the “Fairfax County General District Court records list two cases for West related to a Dec. 21 arrest. One, for assault and battery, is a misdemeanor case, while the other, robbery using force, is a felony.”
“We’re aware of the allegations and are confident that in time this case will show itself to be one of things not being as they initially appear,” Brandon R. Sloane, an attorney for West, told Complex. “In the meantime, I am proud of Delonte as he has used this process to seek out help and been released on bond to a treatment facility. We all look forward to his continued progress, and Delonte is particularly appreciative of the numerous thoughts and well wishes over the last several weeks.”
West, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2008, has been arrested in Virginia before. He was arrested in November after he was found unconscious. The police reportedly offered to take him to the hospital but West refused so they arrested him for his own safety and he was allegedly extremely intoxicated.
West’s struggles have become fodder for social media as many people have recorded the former basketball player and posted footage online. In 2020 a disturbing video that appeared to show West being beaten in the middle of an Oxon Hill, Maryland overpass was posted online and had many concerned with the former player’s well being.
West’s public struggles with mental health and substance abuse have been alarming to those who remember him as a really good basketball player. Several players and former owner of the Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban have all tried to assist in getting West help. In a 2022 interview with Good Morning America, West spoke about the importance of basketball in his life.
“Basketball, for some, it’s just something to do. For me, it’s been a lifestyle,” he said at the time, adding that he prefers the term “mental superpowers” over mental illness.
A hearing is set for March 16.
He’s due back in court in March. We reached out to his lawyer for comment … but have not heard back.
See social media’s continued response to West’s troubles below.
