Former NBA star Paul Pierce was arrested on suspicion of DUI after he was found asleep behind the wheel on the 101 Freeway in Los Angeles on Tuesday, police said.
California Highway Patrol officers said that several lanes of the freeway were closed while they were investigating an unrelated multi-car crash that happened just south of Lankershim Boulevard at around 10:34 p.m.
“As traffic lanes reopened, officers saw a Range Rover SUV stopped in traffic lanes south of the crash scene,” said a news release from CHP. “When officers approached, they found the driver, later identified as Paul Pierce, asleep at the wheel.”
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He was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor driving under alcohol after they conducted a DUI investigation and noted signs of impairment.
Pierce was booked at CHP’s Central Los Angeles Area office, police said.
CHP investigators will present the case to the LA County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Pierce played in the NBA for 19 seasons, 15 of which were for the Boston Celtics. He briefly played for both the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards before wrapping up his career with the Los Angeles Clippers.
He graduated from Inglewood High School in 1995 before playing college ball at the University of Kansas. He was the No. 10 pick in the 1998 NBA Draft, and went on to make 10 All-Star Games and win one NBA Championship in 2008. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
