Former NBA Player and Fall River Native to Speak at Holy Cross

Former NBA player and author of “Basketball Junkie” Chris Herren will share his story of recovery on Tuesday, Oct. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Hart Center at the College of the Holy Cross.  The event is free and open to the public.

A former NBA player, Herren was a high school basketball legend from Fall River, Mass., who realized his lifelong dream of playing for the Boston Celtics only to lose it all to alcohol and drug addiction. Sober since August 1, 2008, he has refocused his life to put his sobriety and family above all else.

He shares his harrowing story of abuse and recovery in his memoir, “Basketball Junkie” (St. Martin’s Press, 2011),  as well as in numerous interviews throughout the ESPN documentary “Unguarded,” of which he is the subject. In June of 2009, he launched Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren, a basketball player development company that offers basketball training, camps, and clinics to top basketball prospects in New England.

Off the court, Herren continues to share his story with audiences in the hopes of reaching just one person and making a difference in his or her life. In inspiring presentations, he draws on his own history to convince audiences that it is never too late to follow your dreams and urges audience members to overcome their setbacks and start making the right choices. To support this vision, he founded The Herren Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing assistance to families affected by addiction. In 2012, The Herren Project launched a national anti-substance abuse campaign, Project Purple, to encourage people of all ages to stand up to substance abuse.

The 6’2” guard scored 2,073 career points while at Durfee High School and was a Boston Globe and Gatorade player of the year and was named to the McDonald’s All-American Team in 1994. Recruited by the top Division 1 programs in the country, Herren chose Boston College only to break his wrist during his first collegiate game. Sidelined by his injury, Herren failed several drug tests and left Boston College. Picked up by Fresno State and legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian, Herren went on to lead the WAC and nation in assists and steals, and was named to the all-WAC first team in 1996 and 1997.

Herren was drafted in the 2nd round (4th pick, 33rd overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft by the Denver Nuggets. He played one year with the Nuggets seeing action in 45 games prior to being traded to the Boston Celtics in 2000. As a Celtic Herren had a career-high 18 points against Dallas, only to suffer a season-ending injury. After being released from the Celtics, he played basketball overseas in five countries, Italy, Poland, Turkey, China, and Iran.

The event is sponsored by numerous departments on campus including athletics, the president office, student affairs, student development services, and the Student Government Association.