Former NBA player Delonte West is back in the news for unfortunate reasons. West was arrested in Florida after a bizarre encounter with Boynton Beach police.
According to WPTV, West screamed profanities while banging on the glass doors of the police department’s lobby while holding an open can of beer and an open bottle of vodka.
The report said West complied with those demands, however, when he stood back up, he began to place his hands inside the waistband of his pants.
Police said one officer unholstered and initialized a Taser and continued to give verbal commands. Officers said West complied, dropped to his knees with his hands in the air and was handcuffed.
When they tried to secure him in the back of a patrol vehicle, they said the former NBA player “continued to be belligerent and screaming profanities and obscure rants.”
West reportedly is facing charges of resisting an officer without violence, disorderly intoxication and having an open container. He was released on bail Wednesday.
West, 38, played eight seasons in the NBA, making stops in Boston, Cleveland, Seattle, and Dallas. West last played in the NBA 2012. He also played overseas and in the NBA G-League.
He was a high school sensation for Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland just outside of Washington, DC. And he starred in college at St. Joseph’s.
Following his pro career, West’s battle with his mental health and sobriety has become more public. There have been multiple sightings of West not being in the best of health, including a January 2020 video in which he was beaten in Washington, DC.
He recently went into a rehab center with the help of Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Earlier this year, it was reported West was recovering and working at the rehab center in Florida.
