Former NBA player Chris Herren teamed up with Mel's Charities to share his story of drug addiction at Ozaukee schools
Eddie Morales
A former NBA player shared his story of drug addiction and sobriety with more than 4,000 students in Ozaukee County on Dec. 1-2.
Mel’s Charities, a local nonprofit organization helmed by Tom Stanton, partnered with several organizations to bring NBA player Chris Herren to Ozaukee County for two days of presentations. Herren spoke to students from Port Washington, Grafton, Cedarburg and the University School of Milwaukee.
“Many people get sober and want to forget,” Herren said in a statement. “I find great inspiration in people who have been at certain levels in life and come back from it. I’m blessed to be in long-term recovery and to be able to be out in front of people and share my story.”
Herren’s basketball dreams achieved
According to herrentalks.com, Herren’s athletic accolades started at Durfee High School in Fall River, Massachusetts, where he scored more than 2,000 career points. Herren was named to the 1994 McDonald’s All-American team.
He failed drug tests when enrolled at Boston College, which led him to Fresno State for a second chance at playing college basketball. Herren was named to the All-WAC first team in 1996-97. But the following season, Herren announced that he’d miss games to receive treatment for a substance use disorder.
Herren’s stint in the NBA started in 1999 when the Denver Nuggets drafted him. In 2000, the Nuggets traded Herren to the Boston Celtics, where he suffered a season-ending injury before the team released him. Herren continued playing basketball overseas in Italy, Poland, Turkey, China and Iran.
In 2008, Herren overdosed on heroin while driving. He crashed into a utility pole in his hometown, where police found him slumped over the wheel, according to an ESPN report.
Before Herren became sober on Aug.1, 2008, his addiction nearly cost him his family and his life.
‘Heroin and hoop’
During a TEDx speech, Herren described how using cocaine at age 18 led to an overdose at 32.
“I met my wife in the seventh grade,” he said. “She knew me long before heroin and hoop.”
“At 22 years old, I was introduced to this thing they called OxyContin,” he said. “And at 22 years old, they told me it was 40 milligrams, and they told me it costs $20. I wish they told me that that $20 was going to turn to $25,000 a month.”
“I wish they told me that it would break my family's heart, make me sleep on the street, bring me to the brink of death and cause me to attempt suicide,” he said.
Herren said 40 milligrams a day turned into 1,600 milligrams. He eventually started using heroin, swapping the pill for a syringe “that would stay in my arm for the next eight years.”
Herren detailed his overdose and explained that an officer had told him responders brought him back to life. He went to a treatment center and after 30 days, was allowed to make his first phone call. Herren called his wife, who told him to come home. She was going into labor with their third child.
“At 22, I was on OxyContin for little Chris,” he recalled telling his counselor. “At 24, I was on heroin for Sam. Please let me see one of my children come into this world sober.”
Herren saw the birth of his son Drew. After spending eight hours with his family at the hospital, he told his wife he was going for a walk. Instead, Herren went to a liquor store and called a heroin dealer. When Herren returned to the hospital the next morning, his wife told him to never come back.
Herren returned to the treatment center and has maintained his sobriety since.
“Today I’m sober, first and foremost,” he said. Today, I’m a father of four beautiful kids. I’m a husband to the star of this story, my wife Heather."
Herren's story is told on-screen through "ESPN Films 30 for 30: Unguarded" and a film titled "The First Day." A book, "Fall River Dreams," follows his 1994 high school basketball career. Herren's book "Basketball Junkie" details his addiction and recovery.
Herren founded the Herren Project in 2011 and Herren Wellness, a residential substance abuse organization, in 2018.
Making a difference
Through Mel’s Charities, Stanton has donated more than $1 million to Ozaukee County causes over 20 years.
“Chris was everything we expected, and more,” said Stanton in a statement. “They were two of the most impactful days in the history of our organization and that is saying a lot.”
Port Washington High School Principal Thad Gabrielse said the school has already noticed the effect Herren’s presentation has had on students.
According to a press release, a student said, “When you said you wanted one kid to walk out of the room and realize they didn’t want to be that person — that one kid was me. I realized I don’t want to go down that dark path.”
Liza Drake, director of human services for Ozaukee County, helped organize the event and provided addiction counselors for the presentations.
“Chris Herren’s ability to connect with people and discuss a topic many are not comfortable with was impressive,” Drake said in a statement. “He is relatable and was honest about the impact addiction has on a person, families, and communities. I hope these conversations are just the start and we as a community will continue to have them.”
Stanton wants to bring Herren back for more presentations.
“Mel’s Charities and Herren Talks have a similar mission of impacting lives one day at a time. It just makes so much sense on so many levels.”
Eddie Morales can be reached at 414-223-5366 or eddie.morales@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @emoralesnews.