LOS ANGELES – Former NBA star Paul Pierce was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence after being found asleep behind the wheel of an SUV on the Hollywood (101) Freeway near Universal City, authorities said Thursday.
Officers initially responded at 10:38 p.m. Tuesday to a multi-vehicle collision on the northbound 101 Freeway, south of Lankershim Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol. Four of six lanes were closed on the freeway as officers conducted an investigation for about an hour, with the lanes reopening around 11:35 p.m.
“As traffic lanes reopened, officers saw a Range Rover SUV stopped in traffic lanes south of the crash scene,” CHP officials said in a statement.
Officers approached the vehicle and identified the driver as Paul Pierce, who was asleep at the wheel, noting signs of alcohol impairment and prompting a DUI investigation, according to the CHP.
Pierce was arrested and booked at the CHP Central Los Angeles office on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was subsequently released.
CHP officials said the case was expected to be presented to the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office for consideration of possible criminal charges.
Pierce, who was born in Oakland but grew up in Inglewood, played 19 seasons in the NBA, mostly with the Boston Celtics, winning the NBA championship in 2008. He was named MVP of that year’s NBA Finals.
He was a 10-time All-Star and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
He is now the host of the wildly popular podcast The Truth After Dark that airs new episodes every Monday.
City News Service contributed to this report.
