Following his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, 47-year-old Paul Pierce explains his situation
By Johnny Askounis/ [email protected]
Former NBA champion Paul Pierce was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol on Tuesday.
“Officers noted signs of alcohol impairment and conducted a DUI investigation,” noted an official update by the California Highway Patrol, “Pierce was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, a violation of California Vehicle Code 23152(a), and taken to the CHP Central Los Angeles Area office.”
“Imagine being stuck in stand still traffic for 45 minutes and falling asleep,” later wrote in an Instagram post, combining a photo of the apparent traffic with a face-palm emoji, “I took this picture that night because I never been in stand still traffic for this long. I’m old, I’m tired, and I fell asleep. I’m good y’all, thanks for the love.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by The Truth (@paulpierce)
The former player was found asleep in the driver’s seat of his Range Rover SUV on a freeway in Los Angeles, as revealed by TMZ. The traffic was reportedly at a stand still due to an unrelated car accident, but Pierce was discovered after the lanes on U.S. Highway 101 had reopened.
After the DUI investigation and his arrest on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, the case will be reviewed by the Los Angeles City Attorney.
The Oakland native played in the NBA for 15 years after being selected with the 10th overall pick of the 1998 draft. After staying with the Celtics from 1998 to 2013, he moved on to briefer spells with the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Clippers, before calling it a day in 2017. Besides winning a championship as the Most Valuable Player of the Finals in 2008, he was a 10-time NBA All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in 2021.
After retiring, he launched a broadcasting career, featuring as a basketball studio analyst on ESPN and Fox Sports. He was most recently the co-host of Speak, a sports talk show on Fox Sports, which was canceled in July.
Read the latest News
