Forget Jeremy Lin living on his brother's couch at the beginning of this season. Delonte West has him beat. West told the Dallas Morning News that he spent nights sleeping in the Dallas Mavericks' locker room and his car during the lockout.
Delonte West Lived In Mavericks Locker Room At Beginning Of The Season
How does an NBA star who has made $14 million over his career and is being paid $854,389 this season end up basically homeless?
Well, it begins with the fact that West suffers from bipolar disorder, something that West thinks has at least partially affected his ability to make money through endorsements. Throw in a 2009 incident where he was pulled over in possession of multiple guns and only narrowly avoided jail. Mix in the demise of his marriage, other expenditures and the NBA lockout, and all of a sudden West found himself working at a Maryland furniture store just to make ends meet.
West had to sell vehicles, jewelry and “just about everything I own, except for my house and the clothes on my back,” he told the Dallas Morning News.
Upon joining the Mavs, West was given a hotel room, but NBA salary cap rules blocked the team from continuing to do so once the season started. Because of his financial and legal troubles, West was unable to find an apartment ... and so, when the team was home, he would sleep in the locker room at the American Airlines Center or park in the arena’s players’ garage and rest.
Once Mavs owner Mark Cuban found out about West’s situation, he made sure his player had a place to live. Since then, the 28-year-old swingman has gotten his life back on track and become a contributor off the Mavs’ bench. Hopefully, the only time West will ever have to sleep in the locker room from here on out is when he’s taking a nap before the game.
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