T-Mobile USA Inc., the third largest carrier in the United States, has stopped running its television commercials starring former NBA star Charles Barkley after he was arrested on New Year's Eve in Scottsdale, AZ, on suspicion of drunken-driving.

The carrier claims that the TV spots featuring Mr. Barkley, which promoted its "Fave 5" feature, had been successful. However, due to the scandal caused by the Hall-of-Famer's arrest, they will discontinue the series of commercials featuring him.

"Our ad campaign featuring Charles Barkley has been successful in driving awareness for our popular myFaves offering and he has been a vocal advocate for our products and services," said a T-Mobile spokesperson in a written statement. "But given the recent developments, for the time being, we've replaced TV ads featuring Mr. Barkley with more general-market advertising.

"As he works through his personal matters, we will evaluate where to go from here."

Mr. Barkley was pulled over at approximately 1:30 a.m. by an officer with a task force that targets drunken driving.

According to various published reports, test results revealed that Mr. Barkley had a blood-alcohol level of .149 percent, which is nearly twice the legal limit of .08 percent in Arizona.

Mr. Barkley allegedly told a police officer he was about to "drive around the corner and get [oral sex]" when the incident occurred, according to a copy of the police report quoted by several media outlets.

The T-Mobile ads also featured Dwayne Wade, the point guard for the Miami Heat who currently leads the NBA in scoring with an average of 29 points per game.

In one of the commercials, Mr. Wade tries to convince Mr. Barkley to include him in his "Fave 5" plan.

T-Mobile created another TV commercial featuring the duo that ran during last year's Super Bowl.

The T-Mobile ads were created by the Publicis Groupe.

Based in Bellevue, WA, T-Mobile is the U.S. operation of Deutsche Telekom AG's Mobile Communications Business. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of T-Mobile International, an international mobile communications giant.

By the end of the third quarter of 2008, 127 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group -- 32.1 million by T-Mobile USA -- all via a common technology platform based on GSM, the world's most widely used digital wireless standard.

TNT explosion
Mr. Barkley has also been working as a basketball analyst for TNT's coverage of the NBA.

After the arrest, Mr. Barkley took a leave of absence from the cable channel. No return date has been set. Mr. Barkley will be off the air for at least several weeks, according to several published reports.

"When I spoke with Charles, he was apologetic for the events that transpired and it was obvious he understood the significance of this situation," said David Levy, president of Turner Sports, Atlanta, in a written statement.

"This is an important time for Charles as he deals with the legal and personal issues that confront him," he said. "Charles is a valued part of the Turner Sports organization, and we are concerned for his well-being."

Sir Charles' resume
Nicknamed "Sir Charles" for his aggressive and outspoken demeanor and "The Round Mound of Rebound" for his unusual build and talent as a player, Mr. Barkley established himself as one of the National Basketball Association's most dominating power forwards.

Mr. Barkley played 16 seasons for the Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns and Houston Rockets.

Mr. Barkley was selected to both the All-NBA First Team and All-NBA Second Team five times and once named to the All-NBA Third Team. He earned eleven NBA All-Star Game appearances and was named the All-Star MVP in 1991.

In 1993, Mr. Barkley was voted the league's Most Valuable Player and, during the NBA's 50th anniversary, named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

Mr. Barkley competed in the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games and won two gold medals as a member of the United States' Dream Team.

In 2006, Mr. Barkley was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

"I am disappointed that I put myself in that situation," Mr. Barkley said in a statement to The Associated Press. "The Scottsdale police were fantastic.

"Now it is a legal matter and I will not comment further until it is resolved," he said.