Boston Celtics legend Paul Pierce was arrested in California on Tuesday night on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, authorities said.
Pierce was allegedly found asleep at the wheel of a Range Rover SUV that was stopped on U.S. Highway 101, a major freeway that goes through the San Fernando Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Troopers had earlier closed four of six lanes on the highway as they worked at the scene of a multi-vehicle crash south of Lankershim Boulevard, the highway patrol said in a statement.
When they reopened the lanes about 11:35 p.m., troopers noticed the SUV stopped in traffic lanes south of the crash scene. The troopers approached the SUV and allegedly found Pierce asleep behind the wheel, according to the statement.
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“Officers noted signs of alcohol impairment and conducted a DUI investigation,” the statement said.
Pierce was arrested “on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol” and was taken to the highway patrol’s central Los Angeles area office, the statement said.
Sydney Cohn, a representative for Pierce, declined to comment when reached by phone Thursday.
Pierce, a California native and NBA Hall of Famer, spent the first 15 years of his professional career with the Celtics. He led the team to its 17th NBA championship in 2008, beating the Los Angeles Lakers, and was named Finals MVP.
Pierce turned to broadcasting after his NBA career. He joined ESPN as an NBA analyst in 2017 but was fired in 2021 after he posted videos of himself smoking, drinking, and partying with dancers on Instagram.
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He joined Fox Sports in 2024 but was let go last summer, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Nick Stoico can be reached at nick.stoico@globe.com.