Chris Herren, former NBA player and addiction recovery advocate is headed to Central Pennsylvania.

Alcohol and drug free since August 1, 2008, Herren will share his story of substance abuse and road to recovery Tuesday September 20th at 7 p.m. in the Altoona Area High School Auditorium.  The event is open to the public , but due to the topic of his speech it is not recommended for children younger than sixth grade.

Herren scored 2,073 career points at Durfee High School in Massachusetts and was recruited by several top Division I programs before choosing Boston College.  After a bad injury and several failed drug tests he left Boston College for Fresno State. He was then drafted in the 2nd round in 1999 to the Denver Nuggets, but was traded to the Boston Celtics.  He was then released from the Celtics.

Herren struggled with substance abuse his entire career.  After getting clean, he founded the Herren Project, a nonprofit  organization dedicated to providing assistance to families affected by addiction. He also helped launch the Project Purple, a national anti-substance abuse campaign. 

The program is sponsored by Altoona Area School District and the AASD Foundation.