Pippen Denies Driving While Intoxicated

Jet, May 10, 1999

Houston Rockets forward Scottie Pippen has vehemently denied that he was intoxicated when he was stopped by police and arrested following a game.

"I was not intoxicated when arrested after the game [Wednesday] night and I'm confident the evidence will support me in the end," said Pippen in a statement released by his agent. "I have no further comment and am going to let my attorneys handle this matter in the appropriate way."

News reports said Pippen was stopped when he ran a red light. According to police he did poorly on a field sobriety test, declined to take a Breathalyzer test and was jailed on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. He was released on a $500 bond.

Police said the seven-time All-star was cooperative.

Pippen's teammate Charles Barkley said in support, "Scottie is my teammate. I'm behind him 100 percent."

How or if the arrest will affect Pippen's role with the team was unclear.

"I think we need to get all the facts before we start looking at any team policy, team spokesman Tim Frank said.

Pippen, one of the NBA's 50 Greatest Players, helped to lead the Chicago Bulls to six championships. He is in the first year of a five-year deal with the Rockets. The Rockets, an NBA title contender, currently is in third place in the Mid-West Conference.