Ex-NBA Star Found Asleep at Wheel on Highway, Is Charged

Former NBA star Paul Pierce was arrested late Tuesday in Los Angeles after police found him asleep behind the wheel on Highway 101. According to the California Highway Patrol, officers spotted Pierce's Range Rover stopped in a traffic lane shortly after 11:30pm about an hour after they had responded to a separate multi-vehicle crash nearby, the AP reports. When officers approached, they saw Pierce was asleep and "noticed signs of alcohol impairment," police said. He was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, a misdemeanor charge that now awaits review by the Los Angeles city attorney.

Pierce, 47, spent the majority of his 19-year NBA career with the Boston Celtics, earning 10 All-Star selections and winning the 2008 NBA Finals MVP. He later played for the Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, and LA Clippers before retiring in 2017. In 2021, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Pierce has worked as a television analyst since his retirement and most recently co-hosted Fox Sports' Speak, which was canceled in July. ESPN fired him in 2021 after a raunchy post on Instagram Live. People reports that Pierce hasn't publicly addressed the arrest, but he posted a video of himself playing basketball on Instagram on Thursday.