Dennis Rodman, Suspected of DUI, Held in Costa Mesa

Former basketball star Dennis Rodman was arrested in Costa Mesa on Wednesday on suspicion of drunken driving, police said.

The 6-foot-9-inch rebounding ace, formerly of the NBA’s Lakers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and Detroit Pistons, was behind the wheel of a Bentley when police stopped him about 6 p.m. as he was leaving the South Coast Plaza parking lot near Bristol Street and Paularino Avenue.

“He was very cooperative throughout the investigation,” Sgt. Don Holford, a spokesman for the Costa Mesa Police Department, said of the 38-year-old athlete.

Rodman had been dining at the Clubhouse restaurant at the mall, Holford said. As Rodman was leaving, a mall security guard was notified by the restaurant’s management that the athlete had been drinking. The guard, who saw Rodman get into a car, notified police.

“They called us, we responded and stopped him off the parking lot,” Holford said. “The officers detected the odor of an alcoholic beverage, slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.”

Rodman, who lives in Newport Beach, was arrested and taken to Costa Mesa City Jail, where he was expected to remain for several hours until he could post bail, set at $2,500. The results of a chemical test to determine the alcohol content of his blood were not immediately available, Holford said.

The two-story 18,000-square-foot restaurant opened recently. Among its investors are actors Kevin Costner and Robert Wagner, as well as golfer Fred Couples.

Rodman, the self-acknowledged “bad boy” of the athletic world, has had brushes with the law before in Orange County, most recently in August, when he was arrested for public drunkenness at Woody’s Wharf, a popular Newport Beach restaurant and bar. No charges were filed in that incident.

Rodman, who led the NBA in rebounding for seven years, played on league championship teams twice with the Detroit Pistons and three times with the Chicago Bulls.

He was released by the Lakers last season after showing up late for several practices and missing others. Rodman indicated he would like to continue playing in the NBA, but no other teams have signed him.

Times wire services contributed to this report.