Not many athletes make it to the pro's. For many it's just a childhood dream. But for former NBA player Chris Herren, his dreams came true but some of his memories weren't all happy ones.
He came to Sioux Falls Thursday to talk to athletes about his drug addiction and you'll hear what athletes are taking away from his message.
Skyforce player Dominique Coleman knew he was going to an awareness meeting Thursday night but didn't realize the extent of it.
"It's just informative for us to not go down that path, not go down the way he went, which was rough," Coleman said.
Former NBA basketball player Chris Herren talked to Skyforce and Dakota Wizards players Thursday night about his 15 year struggle with drug and alcohol abuse.
Herren became addicted to various drugs: marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, oxycontin and alcohol. He's been arrested, even pronounced dead at one point during his addiction.
But today he's sober and has been for more than three years.
"On a bad day alcohol isn't going to fix it, and not going to go away through that process," Herren said.
And he wants others to learn from his mistakes, even those who might be going down the wrong path.
"Part of my mission is to extend my hand to another suffering addict, like that hand was extended to me and without their phone calls, I wouldn't be here," Herren said.
But he is here, speaking around the country, talking to athletes, students and people in rehab centers.
"If I can go and get out in front of one of them and change them, that's important," Herren said.
And from Thursday's meeting, I think he's made that impact.
"After hearing that, a million reasons why, money wise it's expensive and nothing athletes should take part of," Coleman said.
Herren played for the Denver Nuggets, the Boston Celtics, then internationally.
He now lives in Rhode Island with his wife and three kids.
He heads home Friday for a few days then heads out to Indiana.
