Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shares photo of former NBA player Delonte West riding a horse in rehab after the billionaire picked the 37-year-old off the streets and offered to help when he saw him begging

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shared a photo to Twitter Friday of former NBA player Delonte West, who he helped check into rehab last month after images emerged of the ex-basketball star begging on the streets. 

Cuban picked up West at a gas station in Texas in late September in a last-ditch attempt to help the 37-year-old. 

West checked into a Florida drug treatment facility on September 28 after Cuban reunited him with his concerned mother at a hotel near the gas station. Cuban had offered to pay for his treatment at the facility. 

The Mavericks owner shared the new picture of West which showed him riding a horse and looking healthier as he works toward recovery. West appears to be alongside former New Jersey Nets center Jayson Williams, who founded a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Florida named 'Rebound.' 

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban shared a photo to Twitter Friday of ex NBA player Delonte West, pictured right. Cuban helped West into rehab after he was spotted begging on the streets

Cuban shared the photo to Twitter Friday after he helped West off the streets

Troubled former NBA guard Delonte West was met at a Texas gas station by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in the latest attempt to help the 37-year-old, who has battled bipolar disorder and a reported drug problem. He is now in the detox phase in a rehabilitation center

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban offered to help West's family track him down 

'Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you, Delonte West,' Cuban wrote. 

'A long, long , long way to go, but he has taken the first steps and shared these with all of us as a thank you for the love and support.'

According to TMZ Sports, West is currently in the detox phase at the facility, which he is 'roughing it out' and 'doing fine'. 

They report that West will be moved to a different facility to concentrate on mental health and long term sobriety programs when this phase is over. 

Williams, 50, previously served 27 months in prison for DUI and the accidental fatal shooting of a limousine driver at his home in 2002. The one-time St. John's star got sober in 2016 at the urging of his former teammates after battling longtime problems with alcohol. 

A hunt began for West last month when a photograph of the former first-round pick begging on the streets of Dallas went viral. 

A concerned Cuban reached out to West's mother Delphina Addison, who asked the billionaire to track down her son, according to The Athletic's Shams Charania. 

Ultimately Cuban was able to get in touch with West, and the two arranged to meet at a gas station, according to TMZ. 

West's family had been trying desperately to persuade him to enter rehab for some time, but he is now open to getting treatment, TMZ added.

Cuban confirmed the gas station meeting to ESPN, which referred to West as 'homeless.'

West, a father of two, is still married to his second wife, Caressa. It's unclear if she is in touch with West at this time. 

The brief video of the meeting with Cuban went viral last month also went viral, prompting fans and friends to plead for the former St. Joseph's star to seek help. 

West shoots a free throw for the Dallas Mavericks in 2012. His NBA career finished that year

Troubled former NBA guard Delonte West was met at a Texas gas station last month by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban in the latest attempt to help the 37-year-old, who has battled bipolar disorder and a reported drug problem. Cuban offered to pay for his rehab

West had been seen in several viral videos living and begging on the street. He has since checked into rehab and been reunited with his mother with thanks to Cuban's intervention

Earlier this year, another viral video showed West being pummeled along a Maryland highway. 

West, who has revealed that he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2008, is not seen fighting back in the footage. Rather, the 6-foot-4 Washington D.C. native appears to be incapacitated as his assailant stomps on his motionless body.

THE RISE AND FALL OF DELONTE WEST 

The following is a brief timeline of Delonte West's basketball career and his subsequent personal problems:

 

Price George's County Police did arrive on the scene, briefly handcuffing West while he shared his side of the story. 

According to police, a female witness claimed the fight began when one man hit the other with a bottle. The other man allegedly responded by repeatedly hitting the first man, presumably West. 

Both men refused medical assistance and declined to press charges. Neither were publicly identified by police, but West is seen rambling incoherently about the incident in a second body cam video. 

The men were known to each other, according to the police statement. 

West first made headlines on a Saint Joseph's University team that went 27-0 in the 2004 regular season and earned a top seed for the NCAA tournament before losing to Oklahoma State in the Elite 8.

He was then drafted by the Boston Celtics in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft and eventually became a starter alongside LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008.

West continued to bounce around the NBA after that, playing in the D-League and even signing in China, but mental health issues began to overshadow his career.

In 2009 he was pulled over riding a three-wheeled motorcycle, leading police to discover three firearms strapped to his body. He ultimately pleaded guilty to weapon charges and was ordered to undergo psychological counseling, in addition to probation and community service.

In 2016 a photo emerged of him panhandling in suburban Washington D.C., but it was never proven that he was actually homeless at the time.

According to Complex Sports, West was seen wandering around Houston without shoes four years ago.

West earned over $16 million during his nine-year career, which ended after his only season with the Mavericks in 2011-2012, when he was just 28.

Recently,  friend of West's revealed the NBA star is addicted to embalming fluids and had been on the streets for years before Cuban got him into rehab. 

Lenora Cole, 50, decided to help West when she saw him panhandling outside a grocery store near Irving six months ago, and had been desperate for the father-of-two to receive professional help ever since. 

Cole, who has been supporting West with cash, clean laundry and meals, revealed that he is addicted to embalming fluids and alcohol and suffers from paranoia. 

She said: 'He's a sweet and humble person. He's not violent or aggressive at all, ever.

'He has a good heart and a good sense of humor. He's just addicted to embalming fluid and alcohol.

Delonte West with wife Caressa and son Cash pictured together in 2015. According to TMZ, West's family has been desperately trying to convince him to get help, which he is now open to

Delonte West pictured playing for the Mavs against his longtime friend Jameer Nelson in 2012

'It's really sad. I was trying to get him help, but he was really paranoid. He didn't seem to trust anyone but me.

'It was really hard to convince him that he needed to accept professional help and go into rehab.'

Cole, who works for a school bus service, says she has been helping the former star by paying for his basic necessities since April.

'I pay his phone bill and try to make sure he's safe as best I can. I don't earn much, but I don't drink or smoke, so I can afford to give him a little bit of money.

'He's in a really bad place right now, but I think he's finally ready to accept some help to get sober and get his life back on track.