Chris Herren had it all.
The Massachusetts native made his way to the top - the NBA - playing for his hometown team, the Boston Celtics.
But almost as quickly as he ascended to the top, Herren took a long, hard tumble to the bottom. The All-American basketball star who seemingly had it all, lost it all because of substance abuse.
Now drug and alcohol free since Aug. 1, 2008, Herren travels the country telling his story to students and parents. It's a raw, harrowing message he wants to convey and he is bringing the message to the Tampa Bay area.
Herren will speak at Tampa Prep on Oct. 29th at 7 p.m. The event titled "Rebound: The Chris Herren Story" is hosted by DACCO (Drug Abuse Comprehensive Coordinating Office, Inc.) and MORA (Messengers of Recovery Awareness) and is free and open to the public.
Herren, who had his tale chronicled in his memoir "Basketball Junkie" and in the Emmy-nominated ESPN documentary "Unguarded," will tell his story of descent into drug addiction, his recovery and his new mission in life, which is to help reduce the stigma associated with substance abuse.
For more information on this event, contact mora@dacco.org or call (813) 230-7483.