Former 76er star and self-proclaimed non-role model Charles Barkley was arrested early Wednesday morning on suspicion that he had been driving while under the influence of alcohol.

Gilbert police Lt. Eric Shuhandler saw the Hall of Fame forward blow a stop sign around 1:30 AM while conducting a law enforcement task force that targets drunk driving. When pulled over, Barkley reportedly refused a breathalyzer test. He was given a blood test however, but the results were not immediately available.

After being cited and processed, Barkley was released and left in a cab, according to Shuhandler.

“There was nothing unusual about how he was taken into custody,” Shuhandler said. “He was treated exactly like we treat anybody else.”

The one-time Phoenix Sun was arrested in the Old Town area of Scottsdale, a very popular spot in the Phoenix metro area.

No comment has yet been obtained from the former star.

Barkley played 16 season in the NBA, including his first eight with the 76ers. He then went on to play with the Suns and finally with the Houston Rockets. He was an 11-time All Star and league MVP in 1993. He played on the USA Olympic Basketball team in 1992 and 1996.

As many Sixer fans know, Barkley is no stranger to controversy and bouts with the law. In March 1991, during a game against the New Jersey Nets, a courtside heckler finally got the best of Barkley. The hot-tempered star spit at the offending fan, but missed, instead striking a young girl. Barkley was suspended and fined $10,000. He later apologized and eventually became friends with the girl and her family.

Throughout his career, Barkley reiterated the same motto, that ballplayers should not be role models for kids. He would often ask, “A million guys can dunk a basketball in jail; should they be role models?” He would often argue that parents should be role models for their kids, not athletes.

“I think the media demands that athletes be role models because there’s some jealousy involved. It’s as if they say, this is a young black kid playing a game for a living and making all this money, so we’re going to make it tough on him. And what they’re really doing is telling kids to look up to someone they can’t become, because not many people can be like we are. Kids can’t be like Michael Jordan.”

He sparked a great deal of controversy when he wrote the text for his own “I am not a role model” Nike commercial.

The DUI is just another unfortunate wrinkle on what was one of the greatest NBA careers in history for one of the most colorful and interesting athletes in US professional sports.