Sir Charles takes Leave of Absence.

Obviously not Laker news but my favorite sports analyst from NBA on TNT won't be there for now. LEAVE BARKLEY ALONE!

ESPN.com
PHOENIX -- Charles Barkley is taking a leave of absence from the broadcast booth.

The announcement by Turner Sports came Friday, hours after police said the 45-year-old former NBA star was legally drunk when police arrested him Dec. 31 on suspicion of drunken driving in Scottsdale, Ariz.

Test results show Barkley had a blood-alcohol level at .149, nearly twice the legal limit of .08 in Arizona.

While waiting for results of the blood test, TNT considered suspending Barkley if the results showed his blood-alcohol content was over the legal limit, a source told ESPN.com.

Barkley will be off the air for a minimum of several weeks and no return date has been set, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. The person requested anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss it.