“A couple cops came up to me, asked me was I drunk,” Stevenson said. “I said no but I had a couple drinks. I guess he talked to somebody else and then he just put me in handcuffs for no reason.”
He was arrested without incident on a Class C misdemeanor charge, based on the results of a sobriety test, an officer’s observations and his statements.
“They felt he was a danger to himself and others,” Irving public information officer John Argumaniz said. “Basically, he was intoxicated to a point where [police] didn’t feel comfortable letting him walk away or leave. They didn’t have any other options at that point.”
In the interview with KDFW, Stevenson said the police characterization of his condition wasn’t accurate.
“I always knew where I was at. ... If it was that bad, if it was that wasted, I wouldn’t have been out of jail in three hours on a $400 fine,” he said. “I just think people, they take things out of proportion, and when you’re a champion everything is under a microscope.”
The Mavericks said they were not aware of the incident and declined comment.
Stevenson is a good defender and lights-out three-point shooter who has a long-standing feud with Miami Heat forward LeBron James. He becomes a free agent on July 1st.