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Chris Herren
Former NBA Player / Addiction Recovery Advocate
Biography
Former NBA player Chris Herren struggled with substance abuse for much of his basketball career. Drug-free and alcohol-free since August 1, 2008, he has refocused his life to put his sobriety and family above all else. He attends meetings daily to support his substance-free lifestyle and often speaks before groups trying to overcome addiction to share his experiences and road to sobriety. Read More >
In June of 2009, Herren celebrated one year of sobriety and took the next step in his career to launch a basketball player development company, Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren, Inc. Since the summer of 2009, he has trained hundreds of basketball players including some of the top basketball prospects in New England.
Off the court he 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 May of 2011, his memoir Basketball Junkie, written with Bill Reynolds, was released, followed by the Emmy-nominated ESPN Films documentary, Unguarded, directed by Jonathan Hock.
Herren is the founder of The Herren Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing treatment navigation and mentoring programs to those touched by addiction, and to educating people of all ages on the dangers of substance abuse. 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. In 2018, Chris also founded Herren Wellness, a residential health and wellness program that helps guests lead healthy, substance-free lives.
In his inspiring and life-changing presentations, Herren connects with audiences, teaching them that it is never too late to battle back from adversity and make your dreams become a reality. Read Less ^
Speaker Videos
TEDTalk: The Game Has Changed
Chris Herren Highlighted on CNN
Addicted Athletes
Basketball Junkie
Fighting Drug Addiction
FSU Football Learning Life Lessons
Chris Herren Buckete Story
Chris Herren Guest Speaker
Chris Herren Speaks on UT Campus
Chris Herren Delivers Powerful Message to Ravenscroft
Chris Herren Substance Abuse Package (LDTV Award Winner)
Chris Herren on Faith
Speech Topics
Unguarded: A Conversation with Chris Herren
This program format has been designed for school assemblies and community groups, with the focus of relating Chris’s story to school-aged audiences nationwide. Following a DVD highlighting Chris’s basketball career and journey to sobriety, Chris will touch on such topics as drunk driving, gateway drugs, peer pressure, bullying and cutting. Additionally Chris will share statistics of drug and alcohol use amongst teens nationwide. To conclude the event, Chris will field questions from the audience.
Rebound: The Chris Herren Story
In this very personal presentation, Chris will share his story in a brutally honest format with just a microphone. The event will start with a five-minute DVD introducing Chris Herren and showing highlights of his basketball career and his dream to play in the NBA, which began to unravel as a result of making a few bad decisions. From growing up in Fall River, MA to playing Division 1 basketball and in the NBA, he will take the audience on his journey from addiction to sobriety. Additionally, he will relate his story to the audience addressing themes of gateway drugs, prescription drug abuse, drinking and driving as well as self-harm. To conclude the event, Chris will field questions from the audience.
Testimonials
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