A crowded gym, a guest speaker, and a story to be told. The DGN student body waited patiently for a presentation, but this one was far different from expected. Former NBA player Chris Herren struggled with substance abuse, which ultimately led to the end of his career as a basketball star. Herren has been in recovery from substance dependence since 2008.

The assembly began with a movie created on Herrens’ life, ESPN’s “Unguarded,” which gave students insight to the struggles and addiction that Herren went through as a professional athlete.

“In full transparency, I never really decided to become a public speaker. It’s kind of something that just happened,” Herren said. “When I first started doing it, it was more about me and less about addiction and prevention. Around seven years ago, I pivoted and changed the presentation from just telling my story. I thought kids deserved a little more substance to the presentation than just hearing how bad my life got.”

His third time speaking at DGN, Herren delivered a presentation Oct. 10, but not just about his journey. Herren explained that he’s not here to talk about himself, it’s the audience that matters. “Too many kids were leaving thinking about my story and not theirs. The whole premise around this is that I want to give kids an opportunity to be more self aware and identify where they’re at, in their social life, in their high school years,” Herren said.

Student Assistant Coordinator Keith Bullock played an instrumental role in planning and organizing the assembly. As a part of the Counseling and Student Support Services department, Bullock works with alcohol and drug prevention and is the advisor for Operation Snowball, a youth leadership program centered around social-emotional wellness and making conscious decisions regarding substance use.

“It’s hard as an adolescent to think that getting addicted is a reason not to use while you’re in high school,” Bullock said. “It’s hard to look so far ahead, because we think that would never happen to us. Kids were drawn in by his compelling story, but then secondly, his point of focusing on the now, instead of the end, is encouraging people to reflect and reevaluate their choices.”
Operation Snowball and Elite leaders had the opportunity to meet Herren prior to the assembly.

“I really appreciate that I go to a school that is willing to take time out of every student’s day in order to highlight an issue as important as substance abuse,” senior Operation Snowball Director Matthew Sirota said.

In 2011, Herren founded Herren Project, a nonprofit addiction recovery organization. Helping people get into treatment and providing financial support, the Herren Project also focuses its efforts on the prevention of drug and alcohol misuse by promoting healthy choices and empowering individuals to lead substance-free lives.

“I felt it was kind of my duty to jump in and get involved in that respect. Someone gave me the gift of getting sober, and I just wanted to give that same gift, I wanted to offer that opportunity to people,” Herren said. “I thought it was irresponsible of me to walk into a school and have the platform that I had, but there was no support on the back end.”

To get involved in every step of the process, Herren also founded Herren Wellness, a recovery program providing holistic wellness services to those struggling with addiction.

“I wanted to be a part of the beginning, I just wanted to see some 20 year-old-girl and her parents rolling their suitcases up,” Herren said. “And it’s a tough day, but then to see them a year later, it’s an amazing full circle moment. I get that opportunity with Herren Wellness, that’s what I love about it.”

Averaging around 200 talks per year, Herren travels the country to speak to various different groups, yet speaking to high school students is the most challenging but rewarding experience of them all.

“I’ve walked into rooms like The Bears, The Yankees, Harvard, West Point, Ted Talks, prisons, and college commencements,” Herren said. “For the last 15 years I’ve had a responsibility, first and foremost as a father, and as a man who battles in recovery, walking into gyms like this and presenting in front of almost 2 million kids. I truly believe in my heart that I’ve made a difference for some of you.”

This story was originally published on DGN Omega on November 21, 2023.