NBA legend Paul Pierce arrested after being found asleep in his car

NBA legend Paul Pierce was arrested earlier this week on suspicion of driving under the influence after he was found asleep behind the wheel.

Pierce, 47, was arrested Tuesday night for alleged DUI on a Los Angeles highway, state police said.

California Highway Patrol officers responded to an unrelated car crash involving multiple vehicles on the northbound lanes of U.S. Highway 101at about 10:40 p.m., closing four of the six lanes to investigate.

When they reopened the lanes about an hour later, they saw a Range Rover SUV stopped in the road, south of the crash.

Officers saw Pierce asleep at the wheel and “noticed signs of alcohol impairment” so they conducted a DUI investigation.

He was arrested on a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, which will be reviewed by the Los Angeles city attorney.

Pierce did not immediately respond to a message for comment, and additional contact information for him could not be immediately found.

Pierce played for the Boston Celtics for 15 seasons, and most recently for LA Clippers before retiring in 2017. He also played for the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards.

The 10-time All-Star and the MVP of the 2008 NBA finals was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.

Pierce was recently a cohost of Speak, a sports talk show on Fox Sports that was canceled in July 2025.