Chris Herren 'Basketball Junkie' Speaks at Seekonk High Tonight

Chris Herren will be speaking at tonight, talking to students and other members of the community about his struggle with addiction in a workshop titled “Destructive Decision Making and Outcomes.”

Herren was a standout basketball player from Fall River who went on to play college basketball for the successful and controversial coach Jerry Tarkanian’s Fresno State team before being drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1999.

Herren’s NBA career ended in 2001 with a stint with the Boston Celtics, though he continued to play oversees and make an attempt to revive his NBA career.

However, his alcohol and drug abuse continued to escalate and ultimately derailed his career, culminating in a 2004 arrest for heroin possession when he was found passed out in his car in the parking lot of a Dunkin Donuts.

Sober since 2008, Herren published a memoir earlier this year with Providence Journal columnist Bill Reynolds, titled “Basketball Junkie: A Memoir,” about his life, struggles and recovery. Herren was previously the subject of another book by Reynolds, “Fall River Dreams,” which covered Herren’s Durfee High playing days.

Herren was also the subject of a recent ESPN documentary title “Unguarded.”

The program begins at 7 p.m. and Herren will be available to autograph copies of his book afterwards.