Chris Herren appeared to have it all. The talented basketball star graced the cover of Sports Illustrated while just a high school senior, was sought by several major college teams, played in the NBA and at one point earned enough money to own a Lamborghini.

But not everything is how it might appear. For Herren, the cruel fall from grace overshadowed all those great accomplishments. That spiral came as a result of drug addiction. As much media coverage as he received for his athletic prowess, so was the scathing coverage on his besmirching personal lifestyle.

Herren told his story during two assembly programs at Panther Valley Junior/Senior High School on Wednesday, addressing first high school students then the Middle School.

His presentation opened with a video depicting his basketball accomplishments. The subsequent talk to the students revealed that not only did his playing career abruptly end because of drugs, but he nearly lost his family and even his life.

“I’m 49 years old and 17 years sober,” he told the students. Not only did he beat his addiction, but he has also formed the Herren Project, a nationwide addiction recovery program based in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. He also is a motivational speaker, visiting an average of 250 groups a year ranging from schools to professional athletes.

Herren, a 6-2 point guard, grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts. He was offered scholarships at several major universities but chose local school Boston College. After playing a season here, he was expelled for failing three drug tests.

He was then recruited by legendary coach Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State and played there three seasons. His dream career continued when he was a second-round draft pick in the NBA by the Denver Nuggets. He played one season with the Nuggets before being traded to the Boston Celtics. Talk about fulfilling a dream, the Celtics were always his favorite team. He grew up idolizing such Celtics as the great Larry Bird.

The speaker said he was a mere freshman in high school when he started drinking alcohol and smoking pot. People looked the other way because “it was accepted as long as you were winning,” he said.

Next came introduction to cocaine, succumbing to peer pressure while he was attending college in Boston.

Eventually, OxyContin entered his life and “immediately I got hooked.”

“I had no idea of the power of it,” he said, nor did the friend who gave it to him.

He moved from the NBA to international teams. His drug woes worsened. He had a couple of accidents including one with his Lamborghini and hocked things including his wife’s vacuum cleaner and family PlayStations to support his habit “while my wife was raising two kids and trying to keep our family afloat.”

There was a time he got so depressed from his lifestyle that he considered suicide.

Herren entered rehab for a 45-day stint but was allowed to leave to see his wife give birth to their third child.

Instead of returning to rehab, “I went to the liquor store, then got high and started over again.”

His wife had had enough.

“She looked at me and said, ‘You can’t be here. Go back to treatment or don’t come back.’” He chose to return to rehab, this time for a full year.

“Over the last 15 years I dedicated my time and life telling my story,” he said, noting he spoke not only to teens but to the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and other professional sports teams. “In those 15 years, I had the responsibility as a dad and as a man to tell over one million kids my story, and I believe it’s made a difference.”

“My mom truly believed that little basketball star would never spend money on drugs,” he said. “Mom worked very hard. She didn’t believe her son would take drugs.” He told about the efforts he made to keep it a secret from her.

He said, “The scariest thing about drug addiction is nobody knows who’s going to suffer from it.” He said there possibly are students in the auditorium who grew up in households where drugs and alcohol were abused “and you hated it.”

Regarding his own life, he said his father was an alcoholic. He recalled how his father would visit bars and then get into fights with his mother, noting how devastating it was to live with an alcoholic father.

The students were also challenged to be a good example for their younger brothers and sisters. “They read you more than their mom and dad,” he said. “They watch you. They trust you. Your little brother and your little sister want to grow up and be just like you.”

“It’s not my story anymore,” he said. “It’s your story. It’s what you become.”

Herren touched on marijuana use, saying that over the past four years, he has seen a lot of 16-year-olds come into treatment centers suffering from marijuana psychosis.

He urged that intervention for drug use begin before individuals hit rock bottom. He said with intervention users don’t have to lose everything.

“Be honest with your friends,” he stressed. “Tell them what you’re seeing.”

David McAndrew, superintendent of schools in Panther Valley, listened to Herren’s program. McAndrew said he’s heard Herren speak several times “and he really gets his message across. He’s an excellent speaker.”

Herren will address the Lehighton community at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 in the high school auditorium about his journey from addiction to sobriety. The event is open to the public.

Herren will also be at the Jim Thorpe Area High School on Feb. 27 for two sessions He will speak at 9:30 a.m. for LB Morris and Penn Kidder students, and at 1 p.m. at the high school.