Palm Beach County

Former NBA Player Delonte West Arrested After Incident With Florida Police

Boynton Beach Police arrested 38-year-old Delonte West, who was taken into custody Tuesday night after the incident inside the police department's lobby

AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez

A former NBA player who has had a history of issues with drugs and alcohol abuse and has spoken out about his struggles with his mental health was arrested after an incident with police in one South Florida city.

NBC affiliate WPTV-TV reports Boynton Beach Police arrested 38-year-old Delonte West, who was taken into custody Tuesday night after the incident inside the police department's lobby.

According to an arrest report, West was screaming profanities while holding an open can of beer and an open bottle of vodka. Police ordered West to stop walking away while he continued to scream.

West put the bottles of alcohol on the ground and placed his hands inside the waistband of his pants, according to the report.

One officer pulled out his taser and initialized use of it, causing West to drop to his knees and later be handcuffed.

West was charged with resisting arrest without violence and disorderly intoxication. He was released Wednesday morning on bail.

The former first round pick of the Boston Celtics in 2004, West also spent time with the Dallas Mavericks and Cleveland Cavaliers where he teamed up with superstar LeBron James.

He gained attention after his career when he revealed his diagnosis of bipolar disorder and being homeless, later working at a drug rehabilitation center in Florida he had previously attended.  

In 2020, West was captured in a viral video involved in a fight on a Maryland road that stopped oncoming traffic. An officer who captured the video — in which West is sitting on the side of the road, handcuffed and speaking incoherently — was suspended and an internal investigation launched about how the footage became public.

Several of West's former teammates and other athletes across sports expressed concern for him in the days after the video's release. Jameer Nelson, who played with West at Saint Joseph's University, said he hoped to help him.

"All we can do is pray for him and his family and hope that he seeks the proper help," Nelson wrote at the time. "Mental illness is something that a lot of people deal with and don't even know it, until sometimes it's too late."

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