Delonte West's Checkered Past Checks Him off List of White House Visitors

Delonte West is about to have a horrible trip to the nation’s capital.

The Dallas Mavericks will be making an appearance at the White House on Monday, and West didn’t get the invite. For one, he was a member of the Boston Celtics last season and endured another year without winning a championship. It’s essentially a reminder that West came to Dallas a year too late.

On top of that, he isn’t even allowed to sit in the back of the room during the ceremony. His criminal record did not pass the background check. This stems from a 2009 incident where he was arrested for riding a three-wheeled motorcycle with three guns concealed in a guitar case. He pled guilty to weapons and traffic charges.

I feel bad for West. SLAM Magazine did a terrific profile of him over the summer, explaining his side of the extremely bizarre situation. After learning of his intentions, you begin to understand that West’s main concern in driving around with weapons was to keep them out of the same home where his kids lived. West was simply transferring them from one house to another.

He never shot the weapons and didn’t plan to use them.

Regardless of how you feel about West, you have to feel for him on Monday. What do you think he’ll be doing while his team is embarking on a 100-year-old tradition of meeting the most important man in the country? Will he be sight-seeing? Maybe he’ll check out the Air and Space or Natural History museum. Washington Monument perhaps?

OK, now I don’t feel bad for West. There is plenty of stuff to keep him occupied in one of the best cities in the country.

Just don’t get into any sort of trouble.