Former NBA player discusses addiction battle at Gilmour event

The family of Michael J. Pender, a Gilmour alumnus from the class of 1990, sponsors a speaker series at the school, Educating the Heart: A Moral Compass, in memory of their son.

As part of this speaker series, Chris Herren delivered a riveting presentation at Gilmour on Oct. 24.

Herren is a former college and NBA basketball star whose career was ruined by his addiction to drugs and alcohol. His story is the subject of his memoir, “Basketball Junkie,” as well as the Emmy-nominated ESPN Films documentary “Unguarded.” Both chronicle his rise and subsequent fall from legendary high school basketball player to drugaddicted college and NBA player.

Alcohol and drug-free since Aug. 1, 2008, Herren has refocused his life to put his sobriety and family above all else. In June of 2009, he launched Hoop Dreams with Chris Herren to share his story with audiences in the hopes of reaching just one person and making a difference in his or her life.

The Pender family brought Herren to Gilmour’s campus in 2013 and, more than five years later, his message continued to resonate with those on campus who heard him the first time. The school agreed that it was important to bring Herren back to speak to a new group of Gilmour students.

His message was raw, honest and impactful. He talked openly about his worst days as a drug addict, but stressed that it is more important to look at his first days as a user, when he was “just” experimenting with beer and marijuana. He talked about sitting through drug presentations in high school and never thinking they were meant for him. But, his substance abuse quickly progressed to cocaine, oxycontin and then heroin.

Herren urged the students to “ask themselves the why” to get to the root of what makes teens feel as though they have to drink or do drugs to fit in. He believes the key to avoiding the clutches of substance abuse is answering the “why” and addressing it.