HATFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - A former Boston Celtics player visited Smith Academy to speak with students about the dangers of drug addiction.

Imagine being or knowing someone dealing with drug addiction for so many years. That is what former Boston Celtics player Chris Herren experienced for several years of his life. Now, he goes to schools across the country to share his story. His most recent stop: Smith Academy on Wednesday morning.

For Massachusetts native Chris Herren, his life has been full of twists and turns, “it was extremely lonely, isolating, a lot of shame, a lot of guilt, a lot of remorse.”

A basketball star out of Fall River, Herren was dominant on the court through high school and college.

He was eventually drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1999 and played two years in the NBA for them and the Celtics. However, his life suffered a major roadblock multiple times from the 1990s to the 2000s: the pain and suffering from several episodes of drug use. An addiction that nearly cost him his life.

“It’s a journey for all of us. Recovery is an incredible part of my family. We live it, we’re passionate about it, we’re incredibly grateful and gracious for it,” Herren said.

Now 18 years sober, Herren has spoken to tens of thousands of kids and adults around the country, including other professional athletes, to share his story, telling them to not make the same mistakes he made, “this is about you, man. This is about who you see in the mirror. This is about the kid you are.”

The event was put together with help from the Hatfield Opioid Settlement Funds Task Force, which has worked to strengthen partnerships with treatment providers and launch peer-led support groups for families and others impacted by opioids.

Smith Academy freshmen Kaleigh Fallon and Elise Murray Are student representatives.

They told Western Mass News it was vital for someone like Herren to connect with students, especially athletes.

“A lot of times, the people in our school who might struggle with that is when you have to get medicated for a sports injury and then getting addicted to opioids. So, we thought it would be good to have an athlete come to the school,” Elise Murray said.

“He can talk to people, and they can, like, relate to him because he was a basketball player. He was famous on the Celtics. And so, we hope that he can try to help talk to our entire student population,” said Kaleigh Fallon.

Talk he did, dozens of students listened to Herren’s story, with some tears being shed as well. At the end of the day, Herren’s goal is for the kids to leave school not thinking about his story, but to think about theirs, “they need to think of their family, the people that love them, the lifestyle they’re living, the choices they’re making. I want them to think of where they’re at and how they sit in this presentation rather than hearing my story,” Herren said.

Herren hoped to visit more western Mass. Schools in the near future as he continues to share his story to make sure our youth are on the right path to success.