Delonte West

Delonte Maurice West (born July 26, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. He played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Boston Celtics, Seattle SuperSonics, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Dallas Mavericks. He also played professionally for the Fujian Xunxing and Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association and the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League. Prior to playing professionally, West played college basketball for the Saint Joseph's Hawks.

Delonte Maurice West was born on July 26, 1983, in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland. He was raised in poverty, often moving between homes and family members—a period he later described as "happy‑poor". Of mixed African American, Native American (Piscataway), and White heritage, West's light skin and reddish hair made him a target for teasing and bullying during his early school years.

During middle school, West faced significant mental health struggles. After a leg injury in eighth grade sidelined him from basketball, his mother sent him to live with his father in Louisa County, Virginia—a move that precipitated self‑harm and prescription drug abuse. He spent time in and out of children's hospitals and made multiple suicide attempts during his teen years.

West went to Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt, Maryland, where he excelled at basketball, teaming with fellow future NBA player Eddie Basden. He led the Roosevelt Raiders to their first state tournament appearance. They made it to the Maryland 4A championship, where West had 22 points and 8 rebounds, but the Raiders lost 70–58. He was named Washington Post All Met Basketball Player of the Year due to his averages of 20.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 3.1 steals per game.

At Saint Joseph's University, West formed what was widely regarded as the best backcourt in the country along with John R. Wooden Award and Naismith Award winner Jameer Nelson. As a junior, West averaged 18.9 points and 6.7 assists per game, shooting 41% from three-point range. His efforts helped the 2003–04 Saint Joseph's Hawks to go 27–0 in the regular season and earn an Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Saint Joseph's finished the season at 30–2.

West chose to leave St. Joseph's after his junior campaign where he was selected by the Boston Celtics as the 24th pick in the 2004 NBA draft. In his first season, he struggled with injuries, playing a total of just 39 games, mostly coming off the bench. He averaged 4.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. After making the transition to point guard in his rookie season, West was named the starting point guard at the beginning of the 2005–06 season by head coach Doc Rivers.

In 2005–06, West averaged 11.8 PPG, 4.1 RPG and 4.6 APG. On February 12, 2006, he was named to represent the Celtics on the sophomore team for the Rookie Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend. Coincidentally, he replaced his college teammate Jameer Nelson, who withdrew because of injuries.

After three seasons in Boston, on June 27, 2007, he was traded along with Wally Szczerbiak and the 5th overall pick in the 2007 NBA draft (Jeff Green) to the Seattle SuperSonics in exchange for Ray Allen and Glen Davis.