# data[].attributes.body
Chris Herren was born on the 27th of September 1945 in Massachusetts. He came from a family with a lot of basketball players and started playing basketball himself. He attended Durfee High where he had the most career points in school history.

# data[].attributes.body
Herren chose between three different colleges and ended up going to Boston College. He failed a drug test for marijuana and cocaine before playing his first game. On his first college game he scored 14 points in 21 minutes but broke his wrist and could no longer play the rest of that season. This led to him failing two more drug tests and was then expelled from the university and the team. He then transferred to Fresno State where he occasionally failed drug tests

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Chris Herren when playing for the Boston Celtics

# data[].attributes.body
Herren was drafted to the Denver Nuggets in the second round with the 33rd overall pick. The following year he played for the Boston Celtics where he became part of the starting lineup. Herren then went to play in several different countries; Italy, Poland, China, Turkey, Germany and Iran.

# data[].attributes.body
While playing for the Celtics, Herren started using painkillers such as OxyContin, Vicodin and Percocet. Later on, in the end of 2007 he was charged with possession of heroin after passing out at Dunkin Donuts. About half a year later, he overdosed on heroin and was dead for thirty seconds according to paramedics.

# data[].attributes.body
Herren became and has stayed clean since the 1st August 2008 when his recovery began. Herren has become a public speaker, written a memoir (Basketball Junkie) and had a documentary on his life (Unguarded is a documentary that has been nominated for two Emmy's). He has also founded the non-profit Herren Project which provides free resources for recovery and prevention of substance abuse and later Herren Wellness that is a residential center providing holistic wellness and clinical support for substance abuse and emotional health.

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
Chris Herren Jr playing for Boston College

# data[].attributes.body
Herren now has a family with his wife Heather and three kids. One of them Chris Herren Jr, who played basketball at Boston College like his father. Although he chose to pursue football instead at Alabama. Heather Herren works along with Chris in one of his organizations.

# data[].attributes.body
https://herrentalks.com/
https://www.turnbridge.com/news-events/latest-articles/sober-athletes/#

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Chris Herren and Emmy Award Winning Director, Jonathan Hock, bring you The First Day, a film project and educational curricula presented by Partnership to End Addiction and Cigna focusing on the struggles facing youth today. Through the power of storytelling, The First Day addresses issues that school systems, communities and people across the country are impacted by, directly or indirectly, each day including substance use, other harmful behaviors and mental wellness. Chris Herren, is able to tackle the most difficult issues with a unique connection that can be felt through the lens of the camera. His words resonate and make an impact with a focus on the beginning; The First Day. TheFirstDayFilm.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Chris Herren is a leading motivational speaker on substance use & addiction prevention to create addiction awareness and recovery. Contact for speaking engagements.