Delonte West Banned from White House
The Dallas Mavericks’ newly acquired point guard, Delonte West, was not allowed to attend The White House with his team in honor of their championship win last season.
West, a Washington D.C. native who was arrested in 2009 on weapons charges, said he understood why he could not be in attendance at the historic monument and president’s home. The guard spoke to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about his situation.
“I'm banned from going to the White House, so I'm not going to make it," West told the publication. "But I'm going home to D.C. I'm just not allowed to go to the White House. That's what happens when you make bad decisions in your life. You can't go to the White House."
Although West admitted that he would not be in attendance, he did not seem to be hurt by the mandate.
“I've been there 100 times in my lifetime- I live right around the corner," West said. "I live in D.C. It's going to be a shame the President isn't going to get a chance to meet me. I'm the president of my house."
West, who played for the Boston Celtics last season, will start for the Mavericks in the place of an injured Jason Kidd. After being acquired in the offseason, he has averaged 8.0 points and 3.1 assists.
Although he will not be joining his team in The White House, Mavericks’ coach Rick Carlisle seemed to be happy with West’s performance thus far.
“We need defense in the game, and we need that kind of intensity and he made big plays down the stretch," Carlisle said in a Star-Telegram report after Dallas’ win over the New Orleans’ Hornets on Saturday.
West, who publicly admitted to being broke and working at a furniture store in Maryland during the NBA lockout, expressed enthusiasm about being a part of the reigning championship winning team, saying, “I'm just excited to be here."
