Former NBA Star Talks Addiction, Recovery at Ole Miss Pavilion

Chris Herren speaks at The Pavilion.

Addiction is real. It’s serious. It’s damaging. But recovery—and prevention—are possible. 

That was the message former NBA star Chris Herren delivered to a crowd of students, parents and community at the The Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss on the evening of April 25.

In total, the event drew several hundred people—including Ole Miss students and athletes, local families and K-12 students—to hear Herren talk about his personal journey and encourage others who may be struggling or know someone who is. 

A native of Fall River, Mass., Herren became a local legend for his basketball skills early on in his life. He was soon off to Boston College, then Fresno State, before being drafted into the NBA by the Denver Nuggets and eventually returning home to play for the Boston Celtics. 

In some ways, this rise was Herren’s lifelong dream. But, throughout it, he struggled with drug addiction. He failed several NCAA drug tests, eventually leaving Fresno State for part of the 1997-1998 season to seek treatment for his substance use disorder. 

“At 21, I had to hold a press conference and announce on camera that I was a drug addict and had to walk away from my team for a month,” he said of this pivotal moment during his talk. 

Herren’s story, though, did not end there. He has been sober since 2008, dedicating his life to writing, speaking and advocacy around issues of addiction and recovery. He has now talked to over a million people. 

“I’ve been unbelievably fortunate and blessed to, one, have the opportunity to do this 250 times a year,” Herren said, “but also to walk into rooms and present in front of groups like the Patriots, the Packers, the Bears, the Cowboys, the Red Sox, the Yankees, the Royals … and to make a difference for someone.”

Herren was invited to speak at the University of Mississippi by Bryan Fikes, CEO of Stonewater Adolescent Recovery Center, as the first piece of Intended for Good: The Stonewater Council for Youth, an initiative to engage community leaders around topics of addiction and recovery. 

The event was co-presented by the William Magee Institute for Student Wellbeing, a stand-alone institute of the University of Mississippi whose mission is to transform and save lives around addiction and substance misuse. 

“The conversation about addiction and recovery is so important,” said Alexis Lee, program director at The Mayo Lab. “I am so appreciative of Stonewater for putting together this event and engaging with our community to meet them where they are. It was an incredible evening, and I walked away encouraged and motivated to continue the work we are doing with The Mayo Lab and to fight for education within schools, families and communities.”

Additional sponsors included Ole Miss Athletics, GO Orthodontics, Cannon Motors of Mississippi and SevenSouth Tailgating.