EXCLUSIVE

Here's former NBA player Delonte West -- looking worse for wear out in Houston earlier this week.

It's actually a sad story ... the person who shot the photo is a huge basketball fan and said they noticed the former 1st round draft pick wandering around outside of a Jack in the Box around 10 PM all by himself with no shoes.

When the fan approached him and asked, "Are you Delonte West?" -- he replied, "I used to be but I'm not about that life anymore."