Former Celtics guard Chris Herren turns addiction struggle into recovery mission
Fall River native now helps thousands by promoting recovery and addiction awareness
CONFERENCE, AND I HAD NEVER FELT SO MUCH SHAME IN MY LIFE GETTING THAT JERSEY, BECAUSE I KNEW HOW INCREDIBLY SICK I WAS AT THAT TIME. EVERYONE IN THE ROOM IS SMILING. LOCAL KID COMING HOME AND I’M UP THERE HOLDING THAT JERSEY SAYING LIKE, THIS IS GOING TO END QUICKLY. THAT MOMENT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A CAREER PINNACLE FOR FORMER NBA POINT GUARD CHRIS HERREN, BUT THE SHAME SURROUNDING HIS ADDICTION WOULDN’T GIVE PRIDE A FIGHTING CHANCE. THE SHAME WAS SECOND TO NONE. RIGHT? WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE CELTICS, I HATE THAT THEY KIND OF FALL INTO THIS NEGATIVITY, RIGHT? LIKE I AM WHO I AM TODAY BECAUSE OF THE BOSTON CELTICS, RIGHT? I’VE BEEN GIVEN A PLATFORM IN THIS SPACE BECAUSE I WORE THAT UNIFORM. IT’S JUST IT WAS ONE OF THE TOUGHEST TIMES OF MY LIFE. HERREN WAS A PHENOM FROM FALL RIVER, FIELDING AN OFFER FROM A COLLEGE RECRUITER AT 14 YEARS OLD BEFORE HE EVEN PLAYED HIS FIRST GAME AT DURFEE HIGH SCHOOL. AT 18 YEARS OLD, I HAD THE THIS INCREDIBLE FUTURE AHEAD OF ME. I WAS DOING SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SHOOTS AT FANEUIL HALL. I WAS COMING UP IN PLAYING FOR MY LOCAL SCHOOL, BOSTON COLLEGE, AND EVERYTHING LOOKED GREAT UNTIL ONE NIGHT I DECIDED TO TRY SOME COCAINE AND MY WHOLE LIFE SHIFTED IN A MOMENT. SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER IS INDISCRIMINATE. IT AFFECTS PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, RACES AND SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUNDS. BUT STILL THOSE WHO SUFFER FROM IT ARE OFTEN DISCRIMINATED AGAINST. STIGMA LIVES IN THE FACT THAT A CHARACTER FLAW IS A BEHAVIOR, AND WE NOW UNDERSTAND THAT WHEN WE RECOGNIZE THERE ARE MEDICAL CONDITIONS AND A BEHAVIOR IS PART OF THAT MEDICAL CONDITION, IT IS NO LONGER A CHARACTER FLAW AND IT GETS SEPARATED FROM IDENTITY. RIGHT? MASS GENERAL BRIGHAM, PSYCHIATRIST DOCTOR ASH NAGOURNEY PART OF THE CHALLENGE WITH SHAME IS THAT PEOPLE BEGIN TO SEE THEIR BEHAVIORS AS PART OF THEIR IDENTITY. SOMEONE MIGHT THINK, I’M AN ADDICT RATHER THAN I HAVE AN ADDICTION, HARUN’S ADDICTION INTENSIFIED OVER TIME. HE ABUSED OXYCONTIN AS A CELTIC AND WAS RELEASED BY THE TEAM IN 2001. HE WENT ON TO PLAY OVERSEAS AND IN ITALY, TRIED HEROIN FOR THE FIRST TIME. LATER, HE MOVED BACK TO THE U.S. I WAS THREE BLOCKS AWAY FROM MY HOME WITH MY KIDS, WAITING FOR THEIR MUNCHKINS, AND I WAS FOUND IN A PARKING LOT, OVERDOSED. BACK THEN, THE HEADLINE IN THE BOSTON HERALD WAS WHAT A SHAME. THAT SPEAKS VOLUMES. I DON’T KNOW IF YOU COULD GET AWAY WITH THAT HEADLINE TODAY. LIKE, HERE I AM, A FATHER OF TWO, TAKING A CHANCE AT DYING EVERY DAY, YOU KNOW, CHASING DEATH FOR THAT FEELING. AND TO SAY, WHAT A SHAME. HERREN GOT SOBER IN 2008 AND SINCE THEN HAS MADE IT HIS MISSION TO HELP OTHERS IN THEIR RECOVERY. I THINK THE BEAUTY OF LIVING, YOU KNOW, IN RECOVERY IS YOU GET A WIN EVERY DAY. IN 2012, HE STARTED SHARING HIS MESSAGE WITH STUDENTS. I HAVE HAD THE OPPORTUNITY, PRIVILEGE, RESPONSIBILITY TO PRESENT MY STORY AND MY PERSPECTIVE IN FRONT OF OVER 2 MILLION KIDS. AFTER A FEW YEARS, HE CHANGED HIS APPROACH, PIVOTING FROM A SCARED STRAIGHT STYLE THAT DETAILED HIS WORST DAYS. THE FIRST DAY IS IS IMPORTANT. YOU KNOW, LIKE WHY THIS BEGINS AND THE RISK INVOLVED IN THAT FIRST STEP IN THIS PROCESS IS CRITICAL. I WAS LIKE A TREMENDOUS BASKETBALL PLAYER AS A TEENAGER, AND I WAS PLAYING IN FRONT OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE AS A BOY. BUT FOR SOME REASON, AS SOON AS THAT BUZZER WENT OFF, I DIDN’T WANT TO BE ME ANYMORE. I WANTED TO CHANGE MYSELF. I WANTED TO GO OUT, GET DRUNK, GET HIGH AND FORGET ABOUT WHO I AM. IN 2018, HE AND HIS WIFE, HEATHER OPENED HERREN WELLNESS, A RECOVERY CENTER IN SEEKONK THAT’S NOW SERVED THOUSANDS OF GUESTS. I LOST MY DAD AT A YOUNG AGE AND I COULDN’T HANDLE THOSE FEELINGS, AND SO I STUFFED IT DOWN WITH SUBSTANCES. I HAD GONE TO A PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL THREE TIMES BETWEEN 18 AND 21, AND THAT DIDN’T REALLY WORK OUT FOR ME. SO THEY RECOMMENDED I TRY SOMETHING NEW. PATRICK RYAN SPENT SIX MONTHS AS A GUEST AT HERREN WELLNESS. IN 2022. HE SAYS A LESS CLINICAL SETTING AND BEING AMONG HIS PEERS MADE A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE. I FINALLY FELT LIKE THERE WERE OTHER YOUNG PEOPLE HERE WHO WERE TRYING TO GET BETTER AND WILLING TO TALK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT I WAS SO SCARED TO. NOW, RYAN WORKS HERE AS A SOBER HOUSE MANAGER WHILE STUDYING FULL TIME AT NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY. THERE ARE SO MANY WALKS OF LIFE THAT HAVE COME THROUGH THERE IN THE COUPLE OF YEARS THAT I’VE BEEN. IT’S REWARDING TO SEE THEM GET BACK INTO THEIR LIVES. IF WE SEE SOMEONE AS HAVING A SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER, AND WE RECOGNIZE THAT AS A HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, AS PHYSICIANS, AS A SOCIETY, WE SHOULD HELP THEM TREAT THAT SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER. THEN WE ARE CHANGING THE CULTURAL NARRATIVE AND DEBUNKING THAT STIGMA EFFECTIVELY. I CERTAINLY HAVE SEEN A CHANGE. I WILL SAY THERE’S SOME STIGMA LEFT FOR SURE, BUT THERE’S NO QUESTION THAT STIGMA AROUND ADDICTION HAS CHANGED. I THINK WE’VE EVOLVED TREMENDOUSLY. I’M KIND OF BEEN IN THIS NOW FOR 15 YEARS. I THINK IT FEELS DIFFERENT. IT LOOKS DIFFERENT, HERON SAYS YOUNGER PEOPLE ARE TAKING ACTION SOONER, AND OLDER FOLKS ARE MORE MOTIVATED TO SEEK HELP. I WANTED TO WITNESS THE MIRACLES AND I’VE BEEN SO FORTUNATE TO DO THAT HERE. WOW, WHAT A STORY. AND HERON SAYS THAT THE YOUNGER AGE GROUP HE SEES STRUGGLING WITH ADDICTION WHO ARE SEEKING HELP THEY ARE ADDICTED TO DIFFERENT SUBSTANCES THAN HE WAS DEALING WITH. EXACTLY. THEY’RE SEEING A LOT OF MARIJUANA PSYCHOSIS, ACTUALLY, AND ALCOHOL ABUSE, NOT HEROIN ADDICTION. CRACK ADDICTION. AS YOU SEE BACK IN THE DAY, IF YOU WILL. BY THE WAY, CHRIS AND HIS WIFE HEATHER ARE RUNNING THE BOSTON MARATHON THIS YEAR TO HELP RAISE MONEY FOR THEIR NONPROFIT, THE HERON PROJECT. YOU CAN GET INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROJECT AND ALSO HEL
Former Celtics guard Chris Herren turns addiction struggle into recovery mission
Fall River native now helps thousands by promoting recovery and addiction awareness
Updated: 8:45 PM EDT Mar 17, 2026
For former NBA point guard Chris Herren, putting on a Boston Celtics jersey should have been the highlight of his career. Instead, he remembers it as one of the most painful moments of his life.“I had never felt so much shame in my life getting that jersey,” Herren said. “Everyone in the room is smiling, and I’m up there holding that jersey saying like, ‘This is going to end quickly.’”The Fall River native was once one of Massachusetts’ most celebrated basketball prospects. By 18, he was a freshman at Boston College and appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But his life changed after trying cocaine.Substance use disorder affects people from every background, yet the negative stigma around addiction often remains.“Part of the challenge with shame is that people begin to see their behaviors as part of their identity,” said Mass General Brigham psychiatrist Dr. Ash Nadkarni.Herren’s addiction escalated during his professional career. After being released by the Celtics in 2001, he played overseas, where he used heroin for the first time. Later, after moving back to the U.S., he overdosed just blocks from his home.In 2008, he got sober. Today, Herren shares his story with students and runs Herren Wellness, a recovery center in Seekonk that has helped thousands of people struggling with addiction.“I think the beauty of living in recovery is you get a win every day,” Herren said.Mental health experts say the conversation around addiction is slowly changing.“I certainly have seen a change,” Nadkarni said. “There’s some stigma left, but there’s no question that stigma around addiction has changed.”Chris Herren’s marathon run
For former NBA point guard Chris Herren, putting on a Boston Celtics jersey should have been the highlight of his career. Instead, he remembers it as one of the most painful moments of his life.
“I had never felt so much shame in my life getting that jersey,” Herren said. “Everyone in the room is smiling, and I’m up there holding that jersey saying like, ‘This is going to end quickly.’”
The Fall River native was once one of Massachusetts’ most celebrated basketball prospects. By 18, he was a freshman at Boston College and appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated. But his life changed after trying cocaine.
Substance use disorder affects people from every background, yet the negative stigma around addiction often remains.
“Part of the challenge with shame is that people begin to see their behaviors as part of their identity,” said Mass General Brigham psychiatrist Dr. Ash Nadkarni.
Herren’s addiction escalated during his professional career. After being released by the Celtics in 2001, he played overseas, where he used heroin for the first time. Later, after moving back to the U.S., he overdosed just blocks from his home.
In 2008, he got sober.
Today, Herren shares his story with students and runs Herren Wellness, a recovery center in Seekonk that has helped thousands of people struggling with addiction.
“I think the beauty of living in recovery is you get a win every day,” Herren said.
Mental health experts say the conversation around addiction is slowly changing.
“I certainly have seen a change,” Nadkarni said. “There’s some stigma left, but there’s no question that stigma around addiction has changed.”