Former NBA player Antoine Walker was charged with suspicion of drunk driving in Miami Beach early Monday morning, further hurting his chances of playing again this season.
Walker was driving a black Mercedes without the lights on when he was pulled over at 5:39 a.m. local time, according to the arrest report. Officers detected a strong odor of alcohol and wrote in the report that Walker had a sleepy look on his face. He refused a breathalyzer test.
Walker was a three-time All-Star forward for the Boston Celtics and helped the Miami Heat win the NBA championship in 2006. He was also a starting forward on Kentucky's 1996 national title team.
His up-and-down career has often been just as tumultuous off the court.
In July 2007, Walker and a relative were bound at gunpoint while multiple robbers took a car, cash and jewelry from his suburban-Chicago residence. He also was the victim of an armed robbery in 2000 along with center Nazr Mohammed as the two sat in a vehicle waiting for a restaurant to open on Chicago's South Side.
And his once prominent career has since faded.
Walker struggled in 46 games with the Minnesota Timberwolves last season. His contract was bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies in December, making him a free agent.
The 32-year-old Chicago native was selected sixth overall in the 1996 NBA draft by the Celtics, earning all-star honors in 1998, 2002 and 2003. He ranks 10th in league history for 3-point field goals made (1,386) and second (sixth all-time) in 3-point field goal attempts (4,264).
He played a key role off the bench in Miami's championship run in 2006. But he was often dogged by fans late in his career for his poor conditioning, briefly being suspended by then-Heat coach Pat Riley in the 2006-07 season over his body-fat level.
The big forward has not played this season but has indicated he wants to sign with another NBA team.
Walker was being held Monday on a $1,000 bond and jail officials said they did not immediately know if he has an attorney.
(Agencies via China Daily January 7, 2009)
