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United States Chris Herren has transitioned from a professional basketball player to a motivational speaker and advocate for substance use prevention and recovery. He now shares his personal journey and empowers audiences to address addiction and mental wellness.
Herren Project is a non-profit organization offering a variety of services free of charge including treatment placement, long-term recovery support for individuals and families, financial support for treatment programs and recovery housing as well as a prevention education program for schools and communities.
Chris Herren is a former professional basketball player, a voice on the topic of substance use prevention and a wellness advocate. Since 2009, Chris has spoken to over two million students, athletes and community members, sparking honest discussions on the topics of substance use disorder and wellness.
Zinnia Health has joined forces with Herren Project as a corporate sponsor for their upcoming Wellness Week initiative.
FACTOR (Fayette And Coweta Together) partnered with non-profits Drug Free Fayette and Coweta Force to bring Chris Herren to speak at local high schools.
Through The Herren Project and Herren Wellness, Chris furthers his mission through recovery services and in-patient treatment to those in need. Herren Wellness is a residential substance use, health and wellness organization for men and women with locations in Massachusetts and Virginia.
Chris Herren, former professional basketball player, author and wellness advocate, has shared his story of recovery with over 1 million people nationwide, through "The First Day," a film project and educational curricula presented by Partnership to End Addiction and Cigna.
Chris shared his message of prevention with Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon.
Christopher Albert Herren, born on September 27, 1975, in Fall River, Massachusetts, began his notable basketball career at B.M.C. Durfee High School. Excelling on the court, he set a school record with 2,073 career points and was recognized as The Boston Globe and Gatorade player of the year in his senior year. He also earned a spot on the McDonald’s All-America Team in 1994. Herren’s early career was also marked by challenges, including failing drug tests at both Boston College in 1994, where he was consequently expelled, and later at Fresno State in 1997. Despite these struggles, he played in 86 games for Fresno State, averaging 15.1 points and 5.1 assists per game.
Herren was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the 1999 NBA draft as the 33rd overall pick. He went on to play 70 NBA games between 1999 and 2001 for both the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics. During his time with the Celtics in the 2000-2001 season, he received regular starter minutes, starting seven games and contributing to a 4-3 record during that period. After his NBA tenure, Herren continued his professional basketball career internationally, playing for teams in Italy, Poland, Turkey, China, Germany, and Iran, and scoring 63 points in a CBA game for the Beijing Ducks.
Following his professional basketball career, Herren dedicated himself to recovery and advocacy after confronting his struggles with substance use, which included heroin addiction and multiple overdoses. He achieved sobriety on August 1, 2008. In 2009, he established Hoop Dreams, a basketball player development company focused on mentorship. He co-authored “Basketball Junkie: A Memoir” in 2011 and was the subject of the ESPN documentary “Unguarded,” which received two Emmy nominations in 2012. Herren founded the non-profit Herren Project in 2011 and Herren Wellness, a residential rehabilitation and treatment center, in 2018. He now travels extensively, delivering approximately 200 talks annually through Herren Talks, reaching over two million individuals to share his story and advocate for substance use prevention and mental wellness, focusing on the “first day” of the issue rather than the “last.”
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