Over the past few years, mental health has become a serious topic of discussion among everyone. In the NBA, the discussions have been growing as more and more players show they are struggling with it. But no one player has struggled with it more than former player Delonte West. The former owner of the Dallas Mavericks details how he tried his level best to help his star.
The billionaire was a guest on Club Shay Shay. When host Shannon Sharpe asked him specifically about his endeavors to help Delonte West, Cuban weighed in on the same.
I thought we had him turned around. We sent him down to Jason Williams’ place in Florida. He’s making progress. Delonte is emailing me and I’m like, ‘Yeah, we’re getting this’. Then Delonte throws throws his s**t over the fence, disappears. We bring him back again, making progress, same s**t. Only so much you can do. Mental illness is real.
Mark Cuban
Mark Cuban was clear that with regard to mental health, sometimes it is not possible to get better, as the situation with Delonte West made him realize. Cuban has a reputation for being helpful to his players. Delonte West played only one year for him. But it was enough to build a relationship where Cuban wanted to help him. West has struggled with mental health ever since he retired from the league.
“Only so much you can do. … Mental illness is real.” – @mcuban pic.twitter.com/Et2cE7dL41
— Club Shay Shay (@ClubShayShay) September 26, 2024
But as Cuban revealed, trying a few times to help him did not materialize as the former point guard has ended up being in trouble every now and then. But the message that he wanted to emphasize was that mental health should not be taken lightly.
NBA players speak up about mental health issues
Delonte West may be the most infamous story about athletes facing mental health issues. But recently, more and more players have been talking about it or advocating the need to bring in help for those struggling. Former point guard Ricky Rubio retired from the NBA earlier this season after struggling with depression.
Others came out in support and talked about it more than ever. To the extent that teams employ mental health experts to help their players. The pressures of performing in the league could take a toll on some more than others.
NBA teams invest millions of dollars into their players. If they can help players deal with such problems early on, they could help them immensely down the road, as Mark Cuban would hope no other player ends up with a life like Delonte West’s.
