Report: Retired NBA player Steve Francis arrested for public intoxication

Steve Francis, the retired point guard who played eight seasons in the NBA with three different teams from 1999-2008, was arrested late Sunday in California for public intoxication, according to ESPN.

Burbank police arrested Francis following a reported disturbance in a hotel bar, stating the 41-year-old's state "posed a risk to his own safety and the safety of others." He was held overnight in jail before being released with a citation at 7 a.m. PT.

Francis had penned a personal piece in The Players' Tribune earlier this month in which he revealed he used to sell drugs as a teen in Washington, D.C. He also outlined his struggles with alcohol abuse towards the end of his playing career.

"What happened to Steve Francis? I was drinking heavily, is what happened," he wrote. "And that can be just as bad.

"In the span of a few years I lost basketball, I lost my whole identity, and I lost my stepfather, who committed suicide. I just let go, man."

Francis played for the Houston Rockets, Orlando Magic, and New York Knicks during his career. He was drafted second overall by the Vancouver Grizzlies (now in Memphis) in 1999.