Daniel "Booby" Gibson was arrested during a routine traffic stop over an arrest warrant for failing to appear in court over a speeding ticket ... and he pleaded with cops to cut him some slack after all he's done for the community -- but the attempt resulted in an airball.

LeBron James ' former teammate was pulled over by Beachwood Police in Ohio around 10:30 PM on Monday ... after cops noticed him driving a truck with its taillights off. Getty

In bodycam footage of the stop, 39-year-old Gibson quickly identified himself ... but he didn't really need to, 'cause the officer knew exactly who he was.

The cop explained the situation ... telling the former hooper to simply turn his lights on. Gibson stated he thought they were because he had them set at "auto" (it's a new car to him).

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