About this item
I was dead for thirty seconds.Thats what the cop in Fall River told me. When the EMTs found me, there was a needle in my arm and a packet of heroin in the front seat.At basketball-crazy Durfee High School in Fall River, Massachusetts, junior guard Chris Herren carried his familys and the citys dreams on his skinny frame. His grandfather, father, and older brother had created their own sports legends in a declining city he was the last, best hope for a career beyond the shuttered mills and factories. Herren was heavily recruited by major universities, chosen as a McDonalds All-American, featured in a Sports Illustrated cover story, and at just seventeen years old became the central figure in Fall River Dreams, an acclaimed book about the 1994 Durfee teams quest for the state championship.
About the Author
Chris Herren, a basketball legend from Fall River, Massachusetts, realized his dreams by playing for the Celtics in the NBA, only to lose it all to addiction before rising again with a new dream.Herren's basketball dreams began as a 6'2" guard at Durfee High School in Fall River, Massachusetts. A member of the Durfee High School team chronicled in Bill Reynold's book, Fall River Dreams, Herren excelled on the basketball court becoming one of the top Division 1 prospects in the country.Herren's basketball success concealed a darker side, and his dream soon became a nightmare of addiction--first alcohol, then cocaine, finally heroin. A chaotic and often uncertain college career plagued by drugs and rehab led to the NBA.In 1999 he was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in the second round of the NBA Draft as the 33rd pick overall. After a year with the Nuggets, Chris was traded to the Boston Celtics where he suffered a season ending injury.Trying to work his way back to the NBA, Herren played overseas until 2003 when he came back to the States. His alcohol and drug use escalated until he was found unconscious with a heroin needle hanging from his arm in the driver's seat of his car.After extensive rehabilitation stays, Chris has been drug-free since June 4, 2008, and alcohol-free since August 1, 2008. Herren has refocused his life and dreams to put his sobriety and family above all else.In June of 2009, Chris launched a basketball player development company, Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren, Inc. Off the court he continues to share his story with audiences in the hopes of reaching just one person and making a difference in their life.
