Paul Pierce called it a nap. LA cops say it’s a different thing. A couple of weeks after his arrest on a highway, the Celtics legend is formally hit with two criminal charges. He was taken into custody on suspicion of DUI on October 7. He denied the claims on social media. However, he’s now facing DUI charges.

Pierce has reportedly been charged with one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and one count of driving with .08% blood alcohol content. Two weeks ago, the California Highway Patrol found him asleep behind the wheel of his stationary Range Rover SUV on an LA freeway. During questioning, officers claimed he showed signs of alcohol impairment.

Before that arrest, there was a multi-vehicle accident on that Highway 101 in the San Fernando Valley that stalled the traffic. Cops responding to scene had cleared the way but found Pierce’s vehicle unmoving. “Pierce was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol, a violation of California Vehicle Code 23152(a),” CHP said.

Pierce was taken into custody for due process and released. He was apparently cooperative and provided a blood test. That test seemingly refuted Pierce’s earlier claim. He is now due for a court arraignment in November.

Between the arrest and the formal charges, The Truth celebrated his 48th birthday after that and was at work as usual. He didn’t address this on his Club Shay Shay appearance among all the LeBron talk. Nor did he bring it up on KG Certified or subsequent media appearances. He only addressed it once.

Paul Pierce had a different story

Soon after news of his arrest, Paul Pierce jumped on his official Instagram page to set the record straight. “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,” he wrote on Instagram.

He posted a picture of this San Fernando traffic jam with that post to prove his claim. Californians who were in the same area confirmed the jam under his post. While most were sympathetic to his ‘old and tired’ claims, a few were concerned about his wellbeing. Most had other concerns.

Over the course of two weeks, the ’08 NBA champ’s fans were questioning the alcohol impairment. The court documents indicate he had a blood alcohol content of .08%, which is the legal limit in California.

Pierce hasn’t yet responded in light of these charges. From his Instagram Stories, it appears he’s on a hike currently and sounds very winded. Earlier this year, he went viral for walking from home to the FS1 studio after losing a bet over the Celtics-Knicks series. That moment really cemented the ‘old and tired’ claims.

He was one of the casualties of the FS1 overhaul that canceled Speak after one season. He also has a couple of regular podcasts. However, he’s not been picked up by another network in an NBA analyst position yet.