By Colby M.
Chris Herren lived a double life. He was a McDonald's All-American who scored over 2,000 points in his high school career at Durfee in Fall River, Massachusetts. After college, he was drafted early in the second round of the NBA draft by the Denver Nuggets and went on to play for his hometown Boston Celtics the following year. That's what the world saw when he knew the truth. Behind the cameras, Chris was out on the streets spending his salary on drugs. He tells his story in the memoir, Basketball Junkie.
Growing up, Chris Herren would visualize himself in the shoes of Boston legends Larry Bird or Danny Ainge, making baskets for the Celtics as he shot around in his front yard. However, when his dream became reality, Herren watched in all slip away. Everyone knew Chris had a problem, it wasn't always that bad.
He went to Boston College on a basketball scholarship, but was kicked out after the became too hard to handle. Everyone knew that Chris Herren. He tried to recover and was given a second chance by Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State, who had a history of success, winning the NCAA tournament coaching UNLV. Chris played exceptionally well, and although his drug problem was still relevant, the issue had somewhat subsided. His first year in the NBA, Herren had been almost completely clean. He was also having fun, which he never used to have with a basketball in his hands. It was always competitive for him, with his father always pushing him and his older brother, Michael, who had won two state championships at Durfee. His mother just wanted Chris to be happy. If not for his father, it is likely he never would have played basketball; never made it to the NBA. But also likely never been a drug addict.
Playing for the Celtics, Herren played well to start and it looked like he would have a successful career in the league. Then it all fell apart. The addiction gradually got worse. He started off in high school drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana with his friends. Then came cocaine, then snorting heroin, then shooting it, then he was even on crystal meth. By that time he had two kids back at home with his wife, Heather, and was playing somewhere overseas trying to make a little money-- to buy more drugs. His dream as a kid playing for the Celtics was out of the picture. Chris had a new dream-- to get back on track. He had no money and it looked like his family was better off without him. He had overdosed four times and was very fortunate to be alive. He finally sought help, after keeping his secret for so long. Either that, or his life would be over. He went to multiple rehab institutions and was finally sober and drug-free on August 1, 2008. Life was rough at first, but he knew he was going to make it, and his family was well. He began a career teaching basketball to kids and speaking about his recovery, hoping to steer others away from taking the same path he did and ruining their lives. There was no NBA, but Chris Herren was revived, after receiving great support from many, and he is right where he wants to be.
Basketball Junkie is an amazing story. Chris is honest throughout, realizing how wrong terrible he treated others, and how he treated himself even worse. The content is mature, with strong profanity, but this makes it all more real. This book is great for high-schoolers seeking a non-fiction autobiography of a person who let everything good in his life get overpowered by the impact of drug use, and his road to recovery. If interested, you may also want to check out, Fall River Dreams, by Bill Reynolds, for more on Chris Herren's high school experience.
Basketball Junkie: A Memoir, by Chris Herren and Bill Reynolds, St. Martin's Griffin, May 2011, 275 pages
No comments:
Post a Comment