Former NBA point guard Delonte West suffered a medical emergency as he was attempting to evade Virginia police trying to serve him a warrant early Thursday, according to a report. He reportedly collapsed and was discovered by officers, hospitalized, and later arrested on misdemeanor charges of violating the conditions of his release and resisting arrest.
West, 40, “took off” as officers with the Fairfax County Police Department approached him, according to TMZ Sports. The tabloid reported that officers pursued him on foot, losing sight of him briefly, only to find him “unresponsive” shortly after.
“Narcan was administered by officers,” the department told TMZ in a statement, “but [it] did not have the desired effect. He was transported to a local hospital and Narcan was administered again, which yielded the desired effect. West was released from the hospital and transported to the [Fairfax County Detention Center].”
He remained in custody as of Thursday afternoon, according to online records. He is scheduled to be arraigned in court on Friday morning.
West last played for the Dallas Mavericks in 2012. Over eight seasons in the NBA, he also played stints with the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, and Cleveland Cavaliers. He averaged 9.7 points and 3.6 assists per game, according to ESPN. He disclosed that he’d been diagnosed with bipolar disorder during his time in the league.
He has battled substance abuse issues in more recent years. In Sept. 2020, after photos of West apparently panhandling at a Dallas intersection circulated online, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban picked him up at a gas station and took him to a rehabilitation facility in Florida. Four months later, it was reported that West was working at that same center.
But he faltered publicly later that year, rolling up to a Florida police station belligerently drunk in October. He was eventually taken into custody after thumping on the station’s glass doors, cursing loudly.
He was arrested again in Fairfax County in Oct. 2022, after being spotted trying to break into a car. He was booked on four misdemeanor charges, records show.
This post was originally published on Daily Beast
