A second chance rarely comes when you expect it. For LeBron James’ former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate, that chance may have finally arrived after Delonte West’s NBA career ended in 2012 and his life took a difficult turn.
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The 2004 first-round pick battled addiction, homelessness, and mental health challenges over the years. Now, the 43-year-old is reportedly around 10 months sober. West recently revealed on Instagram that 2K contacted him about using his name and likeness. The company plans to feature him in NBA 2K27.
You could say that LeBron James’ ex-teammate is making a comeback in basketball. Of course, not in the NBA, but in 2K.
In late March 2026, Delonte West celebrated 100 days of sobriety in a video from Florida. He said he was working with a wellness program at the time. By early September, West shared Instagram Story clips of himself cycling in Florida while wearing a Celtics jersey.
Now, LeBron and Delonte have history. In May 2010, an anonymous email published by gossip blog Terez Owens made an unverified allegation involving Delonte West and Gloria James.
No credible news organization independently confirmed the claim. Four days later, attorney Frederick Nance, who represented LeBron James and Gloria James, sent the website a cease-and-desist letter. He described the allegation as “categorically false and per se defamatory.” Meanwhile, West, too, addressed the matter.
“Everywhere I go, first question, ‘Don’t tell me you did that.’…,” he said in a 2012 interview. “If we want to continue to grow as a human race, what are we teaching our kids if we try to make humor and fun out of stuff like that? Number one, something like that never happened. I don’t know where they got that from.”
In fact, the controversies seemingly took a toll on James, or so many like to believe. The Cavaliers faced the Boston Celtics in the 2010 Eastern Conference semifinals. However, they lost the series in six games. LeBron’s performance, meanwhile, turned heads.
He averaged 26.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists, but “The Quit Game: i.e Game 5 drew heavy criticism. James finished with 15 points on 3-of-14 shooting in a 120-88 defeat. Two days later, he responded with 27 points, 19 rebounds, and 10 assists in the deciding Game 6.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. At the same time, James played through a right elbow injury during the series, including a sprain and a bone bruise that led to multiple MRI exams.
Everyone pointed out that the King’s performance was a result of the then-ongoing rumors between his mother and his controversial teammate. But the story turned out to be different once Delonte West addressed the matter again a while ago. In an August interview with N3on, the 43-year-old spoke about this.
“A lot of guys that I played with, LeBron, he’s my – him and his family has called. He calls my mom to make sure I’m okay. Miss James, Miss Gloria, she calls my mom to make sure she’s still the same. ‘Tell my son I seen him. You better get it together. Don’t make me come check on him,'” he said.
It might be safe to say that Delonte’s latest revelation has put an end to the long controversy. At the same time, he is returning in NBA 2K27 after marking 10 months in sobriety.