Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was freed on his own recognisance on Wednesday after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of marijuana. The National Basketball Association's all-time leading scorer was driving Tuesday night when he was pulled over by a motorcycle officer for allegedly driving at 53 mph in a 35 mph zone.

"He was the lone passenger in the car when the officer smelled marijuana and administered a field sobriety test, which he failed," said Los Angeles police spokesman Ed Funes.

Standing at seven foot two inches, the 53-year-old former Lakers star was taken to a police station where a drug recognition expert concluded he was indeed in the grip of the weed. Two years ago, Abdul-Jabbar was arrested by US Customs agents when he tried to board an airliner in Toronto with six grammes of pot and was fined $500 before being allowed to continue on his flight.

The former great holds the NBA's alltime regular season scoring record, with 38,387 points, and in a 20-year career was voted the league's most valuable player six times, starting in 1971.