This is the story of an uber-talented athlete. This is the story of how drugs and alcohol ruined a career. This is a story about overcoming addiction and not ruining an entire life.
This is the third in a 3-part series of blogs looking at the life and career of Chris Washburn. As reported in www.hpe.com.
Sports fanatics may remember Washburn as a stellar basketball player in North Carolina. They may remember him as part of Jim Valvano’s North Carolina State University basketball program. They may remember him as the number three pick in the NBA draft by the Golden State Warriors. They may remember him as a player who was punished by the NBA and banned for life because of consistent drug abuse.
Hopefully, his legacy will be that he was a father, a businessman and a human being devoted to helping others overcome addiction issues or keep them from ever experimenting in the first place.
Redemption
Washburn hasn’t died, of course, though he admits he probably should have. At 46, he has lived to tell of his hellish journey through drug addiction, and today that’s exactly what he’s doing.
He runs a soul food restaurant called Washburn’s Wings and More. In addition to his business he is dedicated to helping others. In a recent interview he said, “Any time I think I can help by sharing my own story, that’s what I want to do. You know that old saying, ‘If I can help just one person’? Well, I’m never satisfied helping just one — I want to help a multitude.”
Washburn spends his time educating prisoners and children about what can happen when they use drugs and what can happen when they quit using. He provides motivation for children to stay off drugs and inspiration for those needing to get clean.