The promise of an NBA career … Chris Washburn was the third pick in the 1986 NBA Draft. Picked out of North Carolina State by the Golden State Warriors as a sophomore, Washburn (second from right in the photo) was a 6-foot-11 center who held great promise. Two days after the draft, Len Bias, who was picked just before Washburn, died following a drug overdose. It was a sign of things to come for this draft class, as four of the top seven picks had their NBA careers affected by drug use. That included Washburn, whose career was over after just of two seasons.
… that lasted just 72 games because of drugs … Washburn began using cocaine in college and it would quickly catch up with him in the NBA. As a Yahoo Sports article noted, he would occasionally come to games a few minutes prior to tip-off, and he’d also skip practices. Only months into his rookie season, he entered a drug rehabilitation clinic. He rejoined the team toward the end of the season, but as it turns out, he kept using. The following season, he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, but after 29 games, his stint with the Hawks was over. In the summer of 1989, he failed his third drug test and was kicked out of the league.
… and now he’s on the road to recovery, trying to help others. After living on the streets and spending time in prison, Washburn got back into basketball, playing in various professional leagues in the US and abroad. John Lucas, a former NBA player and coach who worked with people to overcome substance abuse, tried to help Washburn, too, but nothing seemed to work. But then, in the summer of 2000, he finally gave up drugs — and he’s been clean ever since. Every Saturday, at the Dallas Life Foundation Center, he speaks to addicts, trying to help them. When a former teammate, Purvis Short, saw him during the NBA’s All-Star weekend in Dallas, he invited Washburn to speak at a camp for high school players in Virginia. According to Short, “It had a tremendous impact on the kids because Chris spoke from the heart. He just told it like it was.” If Washburn can learn from his mistakes, hopefully others can, too.
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Photo courtesy of NBAE/Getty Images.