Paul Pierce was arrested on suspicion of driving while under the influence on Tuesday night, and the NBA legend has since addressed the incident via social media.
The California Highway Patrol said in a news release on Thursday that Pierce was arrested after he was found asleep at the wheel of his car on the 101 freeway in the San Fernando Valley. Traffic lanes had been shut down following a multi-car crash, and officers observed Pierce asleep in his Land Rover SUV after the highway was reopened.
Police conducted an investigation and believed Pierce was under the influence of alcohol, so he was taken into custody and cited.
Shortly after the CHP issued a statement, Pierce acknowledged the arrest in a post on Threads. The 47-year-old appeared to make the excuse that he was simply tired and fell asleep because traffic was stopped for so long. Pierce shared a photo that he took while the freeway was shut down.
“Imagine being stuck in stand still traffic for 45 mins and falling asleep. 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,” Pierce wrote.
Paul Pierce on Threads https://t.co/LpAIVD84Je pic.twitter.com/6POCD40kvP
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 10, 2025
Pierce did not directly address the allegation from police that he was impaired. It seems like he is setting the stage to argue that he was merely tired and that alcohol was not a factor in why he fell asleep.
Pierce is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame. He was a 10-time All-Star and an NBA Finals MVP. He averaged 19.7 points per game during his career, which was spent mostly with the Boston Celtics.
Pierce has worked in media since he retired from the NBA in 2017. He was with FOX until his FS1 show “Speak” was canceled in July. Pierce also worked for ESPN but was fired in 2021 after he shared an inappropriate video on social media.
