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FRISCO (CBSDFW.COM) – As a child, Chris Herren had a dream to play professional basketball for his hometown Boston Celtics. He pushed himself past scoring records in high school and was then recruited by top colleges. Herren was then drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1999, putting his dream within reach.
That childhood dream was realized a year later when, after Herren’s rookie season, the Nuggets traded the point guard to the Celtics. But it all came crashing down because of substance abuse.
Chris Herren of the Boston Celtics moves with the ball during a game against the Seattle SuperSonics at the Key Arena in Seattle, Washington. (credit: Otto Greule Jr./Allsport)
Herren had already shown himself to have a history with both marijuana and cocaine, getting kicked out of Boston College for failing drug tests. He resumed his college career at Fresno State, where he failed additional drug tests. The former NBA player racked up several felonies for drug-related offenses and had been linked to painkillers, heroin and meth. Herren was released by the Celtics in 2001, putting an end to his time in the NBA.
But since that time, Herren has rebounded — off of the basketball court — to get his life back in order. He has now been drug and alcohol free since August 2008, and has devoted his time to sharing his story of recovery with others. He has done so in a memoir entiteld “Basketball Junkie,” and also in interviews for the ESPN documentary “Unguarded.”
And, on Tuesday night, North Texans can hear Herren himself tell the story in person. The former NBA player will be giving a special presentation at 7:00 p.m. at Elevate Life Church in Frisco. The event is free. Click here to register.