Hornets’ Coleman Faces Arrest Warrant

A warrant has been issued in Charlotte, N.C., for the arrest of the Hornets’ Derrick Coleman for driving without a license.

Coleman was pulled over for a traffic violation Tuesday night and presented a valid Michigan drivers license to police, but police realized after letting him go that Coleman is not permitted to drive in North Carolina.

Coleman, who lives in Michigan, had his license revoked for a year for refusing to submit to a breath examination or other sobriety tests after an Oct. 27 car accident in which teammate Eldridge Recasner was seriously injured.

Recasner was in the front passenger seat and suffered a fractured right shoulder, collapsed lung and other injuries when the car Coleman was driving was struck by a truck.

Coleman told officers he had been drinking champagne earlier in the evening, but refused to take any sobriety tests and, by law, his driving privileges were revoked.

Coleman was acquitted of the drunk driving charge because prosecutors had no proof he was drunk.

Earlier this year, a Charlotte television station filmed Coleman driving away from the Charlotte Coliseum and followed him all the way to his home. No charges resulted in that incident.

Coleman is out for the entire preseason while he adjusts to new medication to treat an irregular heartbeat.

*

Hakeem Olajuwon will miss the rest of the Houston Rockets’ exhibition schedule because of a sprained tendon in his left foot. Olajuwon, trying to overcome an asthma-like breathing disorder and play his final NBA season with the Rockets, suffered the injury Thursday night in an exhibition game against Portland in North Little Rock, Ark. . . . Allen Iverson suffered a left-ankle sprain during the fourth quarter of the Philadelphia 76ers’ 117-97 victory over the Wizards at Washington. X-rays showed there was no break, and Iverson will be examined today in Philadelphia by team physician Jack McPhillemy.

Paul Pierce, showing no signs of last month’s stabbing, scored 14 points in his return to action as the Boston Celtics beat the Chicago Bulls, 112-95, at Rockford, Ill. Pierce scored on a reverse layup off the opening tip, then made a 15-foot fadeaway jump shot to start a 13-3 run that gave Boston a 17-14 lead. . . . Toronto Raptor center Aleksander Radojevic underwent back surgery and will miss the season. Radojevic, 24, of Yugoslavia, aggravated the condition Oct. 12 in an exhibition game against Vancouver. Also, the Raptors signed forward Tyrone Corbin and claimed rookie center Nick Sheppard off waivers from Utah. Corbin, a 15-year veteran, spent last season with Sacramento.

Rony Seikaly, 35, who hasn’t been in the NBA since the 1998-99 season when he played nine games for the New Jersey Nets, contacted the Miami Heat about returning to the team, which has lost center Alonzo Mourning because of a kidney ailment. Seikaly was drafted by the Heat in the first round in 1988 and played for the team until 1994. He is currently under contract to Barcelona of the Spanish League, and his agent said he would not be able to get out of his contract. . . . Seattle’s Rashard Lewis, who sprained his right knee Thursday night against Golden State, will be sidelined for one to two weeks. . . . Center Vladimir Stepania was waived by the New York Knicks, one month after they had acquired him from Seattle.