Former NBA star pleads guilty
Hall of Famer and ex-Laker Dennis Rodman is sentenced to informal probation for driving drunk.
Basketball Hall of Famer Dennis Rodman pleaded guilty Monday to two misdemeanor drunk-driving charges and was sentenced to three years’ informal probation.
Rodman, 56, pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol and one count of driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit of 0.08%, according to Orange County Superior Court records.
He was ordered to complete a nine-month alcohol program and pay $390 in fines, court records show.
According to police, Rodman was pulled over for a traffic violation about 11 p.m. Jan. 13 in the 4500 block of West Coast Highway in Newport Beach.
Police said he failed a breath test at the scene and was arrested.
Prosecutors said his blood-alcohol level was 0.21%, nearly three times the legal limit.
His attorney, Paul Meyer, said after the arrest that Rodman had entered a residential treatment program and committed to long-term outpatient treatment.
“He recognizes the problem and is working hard,” Meyer said at the time. “No one questions his big heart and care for others. In recent months he completed his community service obligation by donating many hours in long-term-care facilities and making a real difference in people’s lives. I think the responsible way that Dennis is facing his current situation will be an inspiration to many others.”
In February 2017, Rodman was sentenced to three years’ informal probation after pleading guilty to three misdemeanor charges in connection with a wrongway crash on the 5 Freeway in Santa Ana.
Rodman, nicknamed “The Worm,” is a former power forward and five-time NBA champion who played for the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks before retiring in 2000.
hannah.fry @latimes.com Fry writes for Times Community News.