Ex-NBA Star's Harrowing Story of Addiction Hits Home for Westmoreland County Students

A raw and unflinching story of addiction silenced an auditorium of Westmoreland County high school students this week.

 

Former NBA star Chris Herren laid bare his harrowing journey from basketball prodigy to a man consumed by substance abuse.

 

It was a cautionary tale of the highest order.

 

Speaking to students from Burrell, Kiski Area, Greensburg Salem, and Norwin high schools, Herren detailed a life nearly destroyed by drug addiction that began in his youth.

 

The former McDonald's All-American admitted he once dismissed anti-drug assemblies himself.

 

His promising career, which included time with the Denver Nuggets and his hometown Boston Celtics, was ultimately derailed by his struggles.

 

Herren spoke not just of his downfall but of the importance of self-worth and confronting the reasons young people turn to risky behaviors in the first place.

 

The impactful presentation was a collaborative effort, brought to the community by the Westmoreland County District Attorney's Office.

 

District Attorney Nicole Ziccarelli emphasized the focus on prevention, stating a desire to educate students before they face the justice system.

 

Funding for the event came from drug forfeiture money, turning the profits of crime into a powerful tool for community education.

 

For at least one student, the message was deeply personal.

 

“Seeing someone so successful fall because of this and addiction, it touched me,” said Burrell senior Julian Bertucci, an athlete himself.

 

Herren, now sober since 2008, has transformed his painful past into a mission to save others.

 

His visit was a stark reminder that the threat of addiction is real and present for students in our local schools.

 

It was a story about the critical choices that shape a life, delivered with brutal honesty.

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