Chris Herren (Coutesy photo)
Drug abuse cost former Boston Celtics player Chris Herren his chance at basketball stardom and nearly cost him his life. In his book “Basketball Junkie,” Herren admits to abusing everything from alcohol to heroin, with marijuana, painkillers, cocaine, ecstasy, and crystal meth along the way. After overdosing on heroin, he was literally brought back from death by paramedics.
Now drug-free for nearly five years, Herren tells his story to help others fulfill their dreams and avoid the mistakes for which he paid such a high price. He will speak at the Bromfield School in Cronin Auditorium Monday, May 13, at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
O’Shea: All Harvard is invited to attend
“We strongly encourage our community’s teens and their parents to attend, and we welcome any interested community members to come as well,” Principal Jim O’Shea wrote in an email to the Bromfield community. However, O’Shea added, he recommended the program for students in eighth grade and above “because of the graphic nature of the content.”
Even while he was a high school basketball star in Fall River, Mass., Herren began drinking heavily. A series of failed drug tests undercut his college basketball career. In 1999 Herren was drafted by the Denver Nuggets. The following year he came to the Celtics, where drug use once again derailed him. Released by the Celtics in 2001, Herren bounced from one European or Asian team to another until 2006, doing drugs all the while. Out of basketball, he returned to New England and took a job shoveling cement. It was a long way from stardom.
“He sends a very powerful message,” says School Committee member Kirsten Wright, who heard Herren speak in Acton. Wright added that Herren’s talk in Acton drew a huge audience. “You had to get there early for a seat,” she said.
School Council is sponsor
Herren’s speaking engagement in Harvard is the result of work by the Bromfield School Council, particularly member Sharon Cronin. Cronin applied for and obtained the support of many local groups to sponsor the event. She credits the Harvard Schools Trust, the PTO, SADD, Emerson Hospital, the Harvard Lions Club, the Harvard Athletic Association, the Harvard Road Race Association, Celebration, and Bromfield wellness teacher Elaine Beckett for their support. Students in SADD also made flyers and created a Facebook page to publicize the presentation.
“I really wanted this event to be town sponsored,” Cronin told the Press. “It’s important that the whole town supported this, and that kids know the whole town will support them in making good decisions.”
Cronin hopes to start a fund that will spark more community discussion about issues raised by the recent Youth Risk survey. Among topics under consideration for the future are dating violence and host liability for underage drinking.
