Sacramento Kings Forward Charged with DUI

Andres Nocioni, a forward on the Sacramento Kings professional basketball team was arrested early Thursday morning on suspicion of DUI.

According to a posting on the Sacramento County Jail website, the 29-year-old forward was booked by Sacramento police at 3:30 a.m. and later released on $1,482 bail.

Police Sergeant Norm Leong told the Sacramento Bee that an officer noticed a vehicle weaving within its lane at about 2 a.m. on 15th street. The policeman arrested Nocioni after detecting an odor of alcohol on his breath.

A native of Argentina, Nocioni played 4 seasons with the Chicago Bulls before being traded to Sacramento last summer. He has no prior arrests in the U.S.

If convicted of DUI, the ballplayer could face additional sanctions from the NBA. Earlier this season, Pheonix Suns guard Jason Richardson was suspended for two games by the league after pleading guilty to DUI charges, the Bee reports.

Between 2000 and 2007, two other Kings players and former Kings coach Eric Musselman were charged with DUI, though only Musselman was sentenced.

Research by Mothers Against Drunk Driving estimates that one arrest is made for DUI is made for every 772 episodes of driving within two hours of drinking.