Basketball Junkie: A Memoir

Chris Herren · Bill Reynolds

May 2011 · St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

In his own words, former NBA and overseas pro Chris Herren tells how he nearly lost everything and everyone he loved, and how he found a way back to life. Powerful, honest, and dramatic, this remarkable memoir,Basketball Junkie, is harrowing in its descent, and heartening in its return.

I was dead for thirty seconds.

That's 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 family's and the city's 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 McDonald's 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 team's quest for the state championship.

Leaving Fall River for college, Herren starred on Jerry Tarkanian's Fresno State Bulldogs team of talented misfits, which included future NBA players as well as future convicted felons. His gritty, tattooed, hip-hop persona drew the ire of rival fans and more national attention: Rolling Stone profiled him, 60 Minutes interviewed him, and the Denver Nuggets drafted him. When the Boston Celtics acquired his contract, he lived the dream of every Massachusetts kid—but off the court Herren was secretly crumbling, as his alcohol and drug use escalated and his life spiraled out of control.

Twenty years later, Chris Herren was married to his high-school sweetheart, the father of three young children, and a heroin junkie. His basketball career was over, consumed by addictions; he had no job, no skills, and was a sadly familiar figure to those in Fall River who remembered him as a boy, now prowling the streets he once ruled, looking for a fix. One day, for a time he cannot remember, he would die.

Ratings and reviews

If you are an NBA fan, and remember Chris Herren's brief stint in the NBA, you'll find this an interesting read on a career that was completely derailed by addiction. I enjoyed this book, but felt it lacks the depth I was expecting from an auto-biography, especially when compared to something like Andre Agassi's "Open". As a long-time Denver Nuggets fan I was happy to read the section where Herren's life intersects with a brief career with the Nuggets after being drafted by them in 1999, but would have really enjoyed more details and more insight instead of just scratching the surface. Still, if you find the cautionary tale of a high-pressure, high-expectation upbringing interesting, you will enjoy this book as a fairly quick read. Chris and his life's tale thankfully end on an upbeat and happy outcome, so if you are up for the journey that he takes to get there, check this book out.

Illustrates the power of redemption and forgiveness. Brings hope that anyone could come back and make a difference

Love the story, is truly moving....

About the author

CHRIS HERREN is a former NBA basketball player for the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics. His company, Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren, Inc., provides basketball training for young players as well as educational talks. He lives in Portsmouth, Rhode Island.

Chris Herren is the founder of Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren, a basketball player development company; the author of Basketball Junkie; and a public speaker with the American Program Bureau.


BILL REYNOLDS is a sports columnist for TheProvidence Journal and the author of several previous books, including Fall River Dreams and (with Rick Pitino) the #1 New York Times bestseller Success Is a Choice. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.