Former NBA Player Chris Herren Discusses Addiction

The Wakefield Warrior Club is pleased to announce that Chris Herren will speak in Wakefield on December 4, 2012 at 7:00PM at the Galvin Middle School Auditorium. The event will be open to the entire community and will be free of charge.

Herren, a former NBA player and Fall River, MA high school basketball legend, realized his life long dream of playing for the Boston Celtics only to lose it all to alcohol and drug addiction.  Sober since August 1, 2008, Chris has refocused his life to put his sobriety and family above all else. He now tours the United States sharing his stories with groups such as the NFL, NBA, NCAA, local high schools and youth groups.

Herren shares his harrowing story of abuse and recovery in his memoir, Basketball Junkie, as well as in the ESPN Films documentary, Unguarded.

A 6’2” guard, Herren, scored 2,073 career points while at Durfee High School and was a Boston Globe and Gatorade Player of the Year.  He was also named to the 1994 McDonalds All-American Team.

Recruited by top Division 1 programs in the country, Herren chose Boston College, only to break his wrist in his first collegiate game. Sidelined by injury, Herren failed several drugs tests and left Boston College.  He was subsequently picked up by Fresno State and the legendary coach, Jerry Tarkanian. Herren went on to lead the WAC and nation in assists and steals all while battling addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Herren was drafted in the 2nd round of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He played one year with Denver, seeing action in 45 games before being traded to the Celtics in 2000. He had a career high 18 points against Dallas before suffering a season-ending injury. After being released by Boston, Chris played over seas in Italy, Poland, Turkey, China and Iran.

Chris continues to share his story with audiences across the United States in the hopes of reaching just one person and making a difference in their life. In his inspiring presentations, Chris draws on his own history to convince audiences that it is never too late to follow your dreams, and he urges audiences to overcome their setbacks and start making the right choices. To support his vision, he founded the Herren Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing assistance to families affected by addiction. In 2012, the Herren Project launched Project Purple, a national anti-substance abuse campaign that assists individuals and families struggling with addiction.

For more information on Chris Herren, The Herren Project and Project Purple, please visit www.theherrenproject.org.