 Firstly, I just want to start off by saying the images and videos that you see in this video may be a little bit disturbing to some So if you don't want to watch that click off the video Secondly, I'm not trying to profit off any of this This is definitely a serious issue and this video was created with the intentions of being more as a discourse for the lack of Resources in regards to mental health and well-being and also a discussion about the Lonte West as a whole and how we can prevent this From happening in the future with not only other NBA players But hopefully people in general in society because this is just heartbreaking It's really sad to see this video is simply to bring light on mental health and hopefully using the Lonte West as an example of what can happen When we put people in these situations, especially with all the negativity surrounding social media and the media as a whole So I'm sure some of you have seen the Lonte West and the images and videos surrounding him over the past couple of days And even weeks and months He's a man that was once an NBA player and now he's on the streets with a drug addiction and Homeless the thing about this video is I want it to be a discourse I want to talk about this topic and not have it be a negative on the Lonte West But rather talk about mental health and drug addiction as a whole honestly the video of the Lonte West is heartbreaking It's heartbreaking to watch not only because this was once an NBA player who basically had his whole life set up for it He was a multi-millionaire he played in the NBA and if you generally playing the NBA You're basically set for life because obviously that NBA money is something that they work hard for and deserve of course But it's a lot of money and typically once you make the NBA you can survive off that for a lifetime look after your family Etc. So what makes it even more sad is that he's not only able to look after himself But he has a family to look after and a young kid that he needs to raise and now he's on the streets And he's unable to do that But like I said no matter if they're a past NBA player or not It's heartbreaking to see somebody on the streets such as what we're seeing with the Lonte West Homeless getting beat up getting arrested. It's just sad I think it's the perfect example of the lack of resources devoted to mental health And that's not just in America or in Australia, but that's all over the world I think mental health is something that needs to be talked about more and I'm glad that we're talking about it as a whole More often than we were let's say 10 years ago, but in this decade the start of 2020 I think there will be more resources and more discussion about mental health and of course drug addiction and mental health And not the same thing and the Lonte West may have been a drug addict But also there is no doubt in anybody's mind including myself that he definitely had mental health issues because he stated that in the past He had bipolar and he came out in 2008 as he had to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers and seek help So he definitely has had mental health issues in the past But obviously intertwining drug addiction with mental health has left the Lonte West homeless and with the images that you see on the screen This is something that I think is much bigger than basketball much bigger than the Lonte West This is something that we see all the time whatever country you're in there are always homeless people People that are on drugs people that have mental illness issues and the aim of this video is to have a discussion and first and foremost I don't want people in the comment section having a diss at the Lonte West or the jokes that have been made about him in the past such as Lebron and the whole issue with his mother because obviously nobody came out and stated if it's true or false and This is something that's bigger. So I wanted to have a conversation about it What I think people need to realize and understand is that the Lonte West? Yes Of course is obviously a drug addict. He obviously has mental illness issues But this is still a man who has a family He has a wife and a kid and so somebody who's so heavily involved in drugs and the issues that he's involved with Not only affects him, but it affects his friends family members and I think most importantly his son This is somebody who may not grow up with a father figure and somebody who may not have that father and mentor to look up to And so whilst I see people on Twitter and yes, they may be young themselves I still think that maybe after watching this video it might put some people in a different perspective on how Delonte West is as a person versus somebody you just see on the screen as a basketball player Yes, obviously he was once a great basketball player and yes I'm putting great in that sentence because if you make the NBA you have to be somewhat great No matter if you are the worst player in the NBA You're still a great player because not many people can make the NBA and I guarantee that most NBA players will Be able to beat any player they come up against who's not in the NBA. That's what I mean He's a great basketball player. Maybe not the best NBA player of all time But he at least looked like somebody who would have a promising career entering the league I mean he was a first-round pick He was a guy that came off the bench But he still played his role and I think somebody with this much potential to end up going down the drain like the way he has It's almost absurd at St. Joseph's University He averaged 18.9 points per game 4.7 assists as a junior helping the Hawks go to a 30 and 2 record and they made the elite 8 of the NCAA tournament Then he left school early and he joined the Boston Celtics as they picked him in the first round of the 2004 NBA draft And by the 2008-09 season he was playing alongside LeBron James for a Cleveland Cavaliers team that posted the best regular season record Until they lost in the NBA Eastern Conference finals If any other player was at that stage It looks like they have a very strong and at least long career ahead of them Maybe not as a starting player But definitely as a bench player who could come off the bench and give you a spark for any NBA team So if we're gonna bring back what DeLonte West is going through and bring that back to the NBA and away I think the NBA can help players like DeLonte West and we've seen it in recent times with players like Demar DeRozan and Guys that have had mental illness issues like Kevin Love as well. He's another player I think just the NBA being more open to these guys because there was an interview with Daniel Gibson Who was DeLonte West's teammate in Cleveland and he said that the NBA doesn't really help you After you're done playing and your career is over Exactly. But I do know when he was playing ball he had like He did have a few mental issues. Okay, and it could it could have got tough for him when he's done because they don't really like help him Yeah, exactly. I'm not I'm not sure. I don't know personally if it's really him, but I hope okay And I think this is very important and maybe with the images and videos that are surrounding DeLonte West Maybe the NBA will have a support system for players after they retire Because we've seen plays in the past who have gone broke and lost everything after their careers are over So maybe this is a turning point and can be used as something as a positive for what's going on But his mental illness issues have been something that people have known for a very long time and still have chosen to go at him He said he was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder following a pre-season game back in 2008 After he went at an official in that game and realized he needed a break and so he was able to control himself He left the Cleveland Cavaliers for two weeks where he sought counseling and began taking medication And what was amazing about DeLonte West was that he was open about his disorder He was able to gain sympathy and understanding and even in that season where he averaged 11.7 points He was open about the issues he was going through but then throughout the rest of his career and after the Gloria James incident It sort of just went downhill and even his cousin stated that in the past He was never able to recover but still obviously because he's DeLonte West people day to day talk about this incident And I think this has definitely contributed to his downfall and of course it's never been denied or confirmed But at the end of the day somebody who has a mental illness and somebody who suffers from something like bipolar is serious And any little thing will affect them anything that's said to them negative criticism Especially by the media and social media that will only do damage and we have clearly seen this and today We clearly saw the worst of it and what it can do to somebody who was once an NBA player Who's now like this it is just sad He's obviously done some very stupid and idiotic things But at the end of the day no matter who the person is they shouldn't have to go through this And I think for anybody going through any mental illness You need to seek help and try not to let it control you which is obviously easier said than done But I think it's a wider community let alone NBA community I think it's very important that if you do see somebody who may seem a little bit down or somebody who's just acting a little bit Weird even if they are a massive NBA player or a celebrity a little comment can go a long way to affecting their health and well-being And because you don't know what they're going through and what mental illnesses they may be battling Even the slightest comment from a random 12 year old kid can affect them And I hope this story can be used as a way to promote positivity and showcase what something can do to somebody Even from somebody who was on such a high level to somebody who works down the road This is something that you do not want to see clearly Dalonte West never recovered from his issues And what he was going through back when he first stated it in 2008 and he still goes through these issues And is currently homeless getting beaten up on the street And this is somebody's son who will one day look up and see his dad like this So hopefully this video can encourage people to see the repercussions of what can happen if you do get involved in certain things such as getting involved in drugs and Obviously making sure that you make the right choices in addition I also want this video to be used as a way to understand and capture the impact that one can have on a keyboard Even just tweeting at Dalonte West about his NBA career or something negative in his life that he was going through a Chance that he sees that message can affect his whole brain can affect his life completely And this doesn't just go for Dalonte West this goes for millions of people all around the world It can be somebody in your class somebody in your school somebody at your college a family member Certain things can impact one's well-being and mental health And I think it's very important to fully understand and comprehend that and I think in a way It is very important for even stories like this to come out so you can physically and visually see the effects of What it can do to somebody's life. Yes Dalonte West may have gone through many other things and maybe no social media or media could have affected what he's been through But because his cousin has already come out and stated that social media has played a huge role in his downfall I think this may help some people understand and visually see the repercussions of what they may choose to say to somebody So all in all I just wish Dalonte West the best I hope he can recover and I really hope the NBA community can get around him because at the end of the day This is just sad and if you know anybody in a similar situation Maybe not on the level of Dalonte West, but somebody in a similar situation Maybe reach out to them with that said I hope you guys understood the video I will have a proper NBA video coming out later today This was just something I think we needed to talk about and I needed to do it for my own sake Because what I saw on social media about Dalonte West even when I saw these videos of him It was just disgusting what I saw on the comment section So I just wanted to make my own video about this topic if anybody got any help out of it Then that's really all I needed. I'm not gonna ask for a like in this video. I'm not gonna ask for you guys to subscribe I'm just gonna say that I hope you guys understood and took something away from this video And I hope it just brings some light on mental health with that said I'll see you guys in my video coming out later today Hope you enjoyed. I am out peace