(LEX 18) Rex Chapman, a former star basketball player, was cheered by crowds across Kentucky and the NBA where he spent 12 seasons, but King Rex had a mighty fall. He sat down with LEX 18 to talk about his struggle with drug addiction and his fight to stay sober.
"I had it easy for an awfully long time," said Chapman.
Chapman said that his fall started with his basketball career. After numerous injuries and surgeries, Chapman found himself addicted to prescription pain pills.
"There comes a point where you stop taking them and they start telling you when to take them," he told LEX 18.
In 2014, Chapman was arrested and charged with nine counts of theft after stealing and then selling $14,000 of merchandise from an apple store.
"You have to find someone you trust, and you have to listen, and if you have people in your life that you trust and you love that are telling you, ‘hey man, you’re screwing up,’ think about it and at some point, you have to bit a bit honest with yourself," he said.
The UK legend spoke to a crowd in Evansville about his 15-year battle with drug addiction, hoping to inspire others fighting to stay clean.
"It’s a constant battle for me, but I’ve learned over time what I need to do to deal with things, day to day."
