Pubdate: Tue, 18 Jul 2000
Source: New York Times (NY)
Copyright: 2000 The New York Times Company
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KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR ARRESTED

LOS ANGELES - Basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was arrested
Tuesday night for investigation of driving under the influence of
marijuana.

The former Los Angeles Lakers and UCLA star was taken into custody about 7
p.m. after a police officer who pulled him over for speeding smelled
marijuana fumes coming from the open window of his car, said Officer
Eduardo Funes, a police spokesman.

Abdul-Jabbar failed a field sobriety test administered near the San
Fernando Valley intersection where he was stopped, Funes said. He was
taken to a local jail, where he was booked on the misdemeanor charge
and released on his own recognizance.

``Mr. Abdul-Jabbar was very respectful of the officers who arrested
him, and very cooperative,'' Funes said.

Abdul-Jabbar, 53, is the NBA's career scoring leader with 38,387
points in the regular season and 44,149 total, including the playoffs.
The 7-foot-2 center, known for his all-but-unstoppable hook shot, led
the UCLA Bruins to three consecutive NCAA championships before joining
the NBA. In a career spanning 20 seasons, Abdul-Jabbar played in 19
All-Star games and won six MVP awards.

He played on six NBA championship teams, including one with the
Milwaukee Bucks and the last five with the Los Angeles Lakers when he
teamed with guard Magic Johnson during the Lakers' Showtime era of the
1980s. He was an assistant coach with the Los Angeles Clippers this
past season. Tuesday marked the second time in two years Abdul-Jabbar
has run into trouble with the law over marijuana. He paid a fine in
the spring of 1998 after surrendering a small amount to officers at an
airport in Toronto. The basketball great has said he uses the drug to
alleviate the migraine headaches that have bothered him for years.

``I use it to control the nausea which comes with the headaches,'' he
said during a book signing earlier this year.
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