Pippen Arrested on Drunk Driving Count

Scottie Pippen’s struggles as a Houston Rocket spilled off the court Thursday when he was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving.

The Houston police officer who stopped Pippen about 1:30 a.m. said the Rockets’ star ran a red light. A member of the department’s DWI task force was called after it was suspected Pippen was intoxicated, police spokesman Fred King said.

Pippen, 33, did poorly on the field sobriety test and was taken into custody, where he was videotaped and given the opportunity to take a Breathalyzer test, King said.

After he refused the Breathalyzer, Pippen was booked on suspicion of DWI and released on $500 bond just before 7 a.m. His arraignment is set for Thursday before Harris County Court-at-Law Judge Sherman Ross.

Teammates supported Pippen during a brief practice before leaving for Los Angeles for a game against the Clippers tonight. Pippen didn’t attend the workout, but Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said he would accompany the team.

“I’m hoping it won’t be a distraction,” Tomjanovich said. “We are trying not to make any assumptions. It would be unfair to comment when nothing has been established. I’m sort of used to unexpected things happening. You just try not to lose your composure.”

“Scottie is my teammate and I’m behind him 100 percent,” Charles Barkley said. “This is not Armageddon. It happened. Scottie Pippen probably wasn’t the only person stopped last night.”