Rex Chapman

Rex Chapman was born October 5, 1967, in Bowling Green, Kentucky.[1] Rex's father is Wayne Chapman, who played in the American Basketball Association and coached Kentucky Wesleyan College to two NCAA Division II national championships.[2] Chapman had a turbulent relationship with his father; he and his sister, Jenny, "used to pray that Wayne's teams would win" so the mood of the house would not be tense, while his mother, Laura, would attempt to defuse the tension.[2]

Chapman was a high school basketball star at Apollo High School in Owensboro, Kentucky.[3][4]^{: 2:20–2:38} During his junior year, Chapman led his team to the state quarterfinals.[3] He racked up numerous awards and accolades his senior year including Mr. Basketball of Kentucky, Gatorade State Player of the Year, Associated Press Player of the Year, and McDonalds's All-American.[3] In 2020 radio host Matt Jones described Chapman as, "the biggest high school basketball player that ever came from the state."[4]^{: 2:20–2:38} He was inducted into the Kentucky High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.[3] Chapman was heavily recruited by many universities, but he chose to stay close to home when he signed with the University of Kentucky.[4]^{: 3:00–3:30}

Chapman was a star with the Kentucky Wildcats.[4][5] His freshman year, he averaged 16 points a game, was named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year, set a record for points by a freshman, and led the Wildcats to the 1987 NCAA tournament.[4]^{: 4:12–4:20}[6] He improved his sophomore year average to 19 points a game.[4]^{: 5:12–5:22} Chapman, joined by teammates such as future NBA journeyman Winston Bennett, helped lead Kentucky to the SEC title[lower-alpha 1] with a 27–6 record.[7] The Wildcats were ranked as the 6th college basketball team in the nation by the Associated Press and United Press International and secured the No. 2 seed in the South region of the 1988 NCAA tournament.[7] Kentucky reached the Sweet Sixteen, where Chapman scored a career best 30 points in a losing effort against Villanova.[6] Chapman was named to the All-SEC Team both of his college years and amassed a total of 1,073 points before opting to enter the NBA draft.[4]^{: 5:30–5:34}[6] Chapman left the University as a "campus legend" with the nickname "King Rex".[4]^{: 1:23–1:30}

Chapman found the off-court scrutiny and attention difficult.[4]^{: 4:26 – 5:08} He said he was harassed by other students and the coaching staff for continuing to date his black high school girlfriend. "It wore on me," said Chapman, who is white. "It was hateful."[2][8]

After retiring from active play Chapman's drug addiction intensified.[2][4]^: 9:35 He also began betting on horse racing daily.[2] Betting on horses had been a distraction for him from childhood through his time in the NBA, where he hid his habit.[4]^{: 6:40–7:08} Chapman eventually stopped betting and went to Gamblers Anonymous meetings.[2] Urged by Ainge to enter rehab for his drug problem, Chapman was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and depression, for which he was medicated.[2] Following rehab, he was troubled by abdomen pain and had surgery to remove a pin from his wrist.[2] Following the surgery he was prescribed Vicodin and resumed his addiction, seeking treatment in 2002.[2] After breaking the addiction, a doctor suggested he try Suboxone, medicine used to treat opioid addiction, which successfully addressed a resurgence of his abdomen pains.[2] Over time, Suboxone caused Chapman to lose energy and clouded his thinking.[2]

Chapman held several jobs in short succession following his retirement.[2] After his second time in rehab, he was hired by the Suns, first as a scout and later as Director of Basketball Operations.[2] He served as a color commentator on TNT during the NBA Playoffs.[16] In 2005, he moved from Phoenix to accept a personnel scout position with the Minnesota Timberwolves.[2] In 2006, he accepted the position of vice president of player personnel with the Denver Nuggets which he held for four years.[2]

When he left the Nuggets his personal life was in trouble. He was divorcing his wife, sharing custody of their four children. Chapman had also become estranged from his parents and sister.[2] His life continued to spiral down after leaving basketball.[2] He worked in a variety of jobs as a basketball broadcaster including for Grand Canyon University in 2013.[5][17]

In September 2014, Chapman was arrested for shoplifting merchandise from an Apple Store in Scottsdale, Arizona.[18] Chapman made it appear that he was paying for an item at self checkout, but left the store and pawned the item to pay for gambling debts.[4]^{: 12:16 – 12:20}[18] Returning to the store several times, he was eventually identified by multiple employees based on his tenure in the NBA.[2][18] Following the arrest Chapman entered a rehab facility in Louisville, Kentucky, run by a former University of Kentucky teammate.[2][5] After a week of being drug free his abdomen pain returned and he was taken to a hospital where he was treated for an ulcer.[2] Chapman's pain went away but the experience angered him, "This whole time I've been thinking I've got this jones for pain medication, it was really just an ulcer".[2] During this time in rehab, he was prescribed Zoloft for his depression and began deep psychotherapy for the first time.[2]

Following his time in Louisville, he continued to seek treatment in Texas and was hired by TNT to broadcast Kentucky's 2015 Final Four Game.[2] In September 2015, Chapman pleaded guilty to four felony charges and was sentenced to probation. He agreed to pay more than $15,000 to the Apple Store and complete 750 hours of community service.[19] He eventually moved back to Lexington where he states he stays clean, eats healthily, and swims daily.[4]^{: 13:45 – 13:57} He hosts a pre-game show before Wildcat basketball games.[4]^{: 14:00–14:05}[20]

• Rex Chapman on Twitter
• Our National Pain a 2017 essay by Chapman for Sports Illustrated