The roller coaster that is former Cavs star Delonte West‘s relationship with the city’s prodigal son, LeBron James, has been well-documented. Or has it?
For a time, especially in the final moments of LeBron’s first stint as a member of the Cavs, rumors wildly circulated that LeBron and Delonte had a serious falling out, due to reports that there was a romantic relationship between James’s mother and West. West never came out and admitted to the deed, but there was that awkward Vice Sports interview from last summer in which West had this to say about the alleged 2010:
I don’t want my son going to school and people making fun of him for something his daddy did. He goin’ to school and ‘didn’t your daddy have sex with LeBron’s mamma?’ I don’t want him to deal with all that man.
Since then, Delonte’s career has pretty much spiraled out of control. He spent time with the Celtics and Mavericks after leaving the Cavs in 2010, and since then has bounced between the D-League and playing ball in China, and though his relationship with LeBron James was thought to be rocky, in June, West spoke about the 2-time NBA champ with Cleveland.com about some of his waning moments with the Cavs and, specifically, LBJ.
He sat with me in the locker room for like an hour and was rapping it up with me by giving me words of encouragement. Keep in mind, practice was still going on. He left practice and sat with me for a while, just keeping me company. He later walked me down the stairs and said, ‘D, I don’t know where you’re going or what you’re about to do, but I’ll be right here when you get back.’ My spirits were so high at that point. I don’t know what would have happened had I left in the condition I was in prior. It’s a testament to the type of person he is.
Though that was just 6 months ago, it appears the dynamic has changed between Delonte and LeBron. Today, Delonte sent out a couple tweets–with little context–from his Twitter account. His account isn’t verified, so it’s hard to be 100% sure if this is the real Delonte West, but based on past correspondence from friends and brand accounts, it’s definitely Delonte’s account.
@kingjames we not cool anymore man.. Take my name out ur mouth.. And stay wit one team..u suck jo..u need all stars surrounding u to win
— Delonte West (@dluckyleftywest) December 22, 2015
Fuck a Lebron James .. We used to be cool jo be we aren’t cool no more Homie — Delonte West (@dluckyleftywest) December 22, 2015
For what it’s worth, Delonte West has admittedly struggled with bipolar disorder and depression, and this flip-flop could be a result of that. It’s also worth noting that a lot can happen in 6 months.