Unexpected news about any disease or condition can breaks one’s heart. Such news can change the direction of your life, especially if received at a young age. Chris was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at a young age of 16 and was devastated by this news. However, it did not stop him from pursuing his lifelong dream of becoming a NBA player. Despite his diagnosis, Chris achieved his dream by becoming the first NBA player with diabetes through his strong mind, disciplined hardworking attitude, and can-do spirit. He has had a long and successful career in the NBA where he played for 16 long years and played 886 games. It is hard enough to play at a high level in the NBA for 16 years and Chris did this while managing his diabetes. Despite of many challenges while playing in the NBA he proudly set himself as a role model by keeping himself fit, maintaining his blood sugar level. Throughout his career, he never used diabetes as an excuse for missing any game or practice. After NBA, Chris and his wife started the Chris Dudley Foundation which focuses on education and diabetes. What an amazing way to give back to community!!!

You have played 886 games in the NBA for five different teams in 16 years. Do you want to share any memorable moment from your NBA career?C: Probably my most memorable game was when we won the Eastern Conference Championship with the NY Knicks. To win that game, to go to the NBA Finals, in Madison Square Garden was something that I will never forget.

How does diabetes affect an athlete? What were the biggest challenges you have faced with diabetes? How did you manage your diabetes while you played in the NBA?C: Diabetes can affect athletic performance with either low blood sugar or high blood sugar levels. Obviously you never want to have low blood sugar when playing (especially in front of 20,000 fans), but having high blood sugar will also negatively impact performance, so very important to have an awareness and control of your blood sugar levels.
There are many challenges when playing in the NBA including:

• Irregular routines, late games followed by early morning practices, jet lag, altitude
• Sometimes not knowing how much you will be playing, could be part of the game or almost all the game and you have to be prepared for either
• Adrenaline can play havoc with your blood sugar and you must be aware of those impacts

When and how did you find out you had diabetes and what was your initial reaction? How did you keep yourself motivated to perform at a high level in NBA?C: I was devastated when I first heard that I had Diabetes. The first question I asked the medical staff was how long I was going to live. By asking that question I was really asking about lifespan as I had heard (correctly at that time, 1981) that having diabetes greatly shortened your expected life span.
The second question that I asked was if I would be able to continue playing sports, basketball in particular. I was fortunate in that I was encouraged to continue playing sports, provided that I take care of my diabetes.
I was motivated to play in the NBA because it was my lifelong dream and that I wanted to prove that someone with Diabetes could play in the NBA, since no one had done it previously. I took great pride in never missing games or practice because of my having diabetes. I felt an obligation to all those with diabetes to never use it as an excuse.

Can you tell us more about the Chris Dudley Foundation? How many people have benefited from this foundation? What motivated you to start the foundation?C: My wife and I started the Foundation in 1994 as a way to give back to the community. We focused in two areas: education and diabetes – with diabetes being the area where we would take an active role. We started the basketball camp in 1996 and have just completed our 20th year of camp. All the campers have Type 1 Diabetes and come from all over the country and world (camper from Turkey the last several years). The idea was to help children realize that they could play basketball, or do anything else, even with having Diabetes.
We realized there was a need for this camp because of all the letters I would receive from kids and their parents asking questions about how best to play basketball while having diabetes. They would ask about my game day routine, what I ate, when I took my shots, where I liked my BSL to be, did I ever have any lows, did my teammates know, etc., etc.
While it has been extremely important to help kids realize they can, and how to play basketball with diabetes, we quickly realize that we were also serving another vital purpose: helping kids realize that they were not alone and that they are many others facing the same issues. A lot of times, kids come from a situation where they may be the only one in their school that has diabetes, or if there is someone else they do not share a common age or interests with that person. It has been invaluable for our campers to connect with each other and have a network that they can use throughout the year. They truly form lifelong friendships.

Who is your favorite player in the current NBA? What do you like about his game?C: Tim Duncan and Steph Curry. I appreciate the approach that they both take to the game, their work efforts, and their selfless play. To me, a great player is someone who elevates the play of the team and their teammates and I think that they both do that.

What are your other hobbies?C: Stand up paddle boarding and bike riding. That and watching all my kids’ games!

What is your favorite place to visit? What do you like about that place?C: We have a place in Central Oregon that I love. We love all the activities that are available, the outdoors, mountains, bike paths, hiking, etc. It is our getaway place.

How can sports play an important role in the lives of special children?C: Sports are great in many ways:

• Discipline to get better
• Ability to work with others (team sports)
• Dealing with both success and failure
• The joy of competition and working to get better at something
• Love of physical activity
• Sense of confidence when you improve in an area
• Joy in working with others and discovering how to help them

Any special message for our community?C: While I enjoyed success during my basketball career, I realized that it is not whether you achieve all your goals or dreams; it is the journey that you take along the way. I would encourage all children to find a sport or activity that they love, regardless of ability. There is nothing like the exhilaration and confidence that comes from working at something and getting better at it, no matter how small that improvement may be. A key to life is to discover where your passion is, and to follow it. Thank you!