Cheyenne Kidd Opens Up About Addiction Struggle
The oldest child of NBA legend Jason Kidd was spiraling down a dark path.
While still a teen, Cheyenne Kidd developed a dangerous prescription pill addiction that she said was triggered by her feelings of low self worth and poor self esteem. Although many people thought she led a gilded life as the daughter of an NBA star, Kidd said she felt “damaged” and couldn’t see a way out of her anguish except through drugs.
“Drugs work when you have a lot of pain, a lot of trauma, things that impact your life in a negative way and you hold on to them as an adult,” Kidd told BOSSIP. “They (drugs) continue to break you down. There’s no value within you.”
She completed her first stint in rehab when she was just 17, and the ensuing media attention about her addiction only made her want to use more.
“I’ve struggled with drugs, and it was really hard for me,” the now 21-year-old said. “I kept relapsing, and I didn’t understand why. I didn’t understand why I had this problem and (why) the things I did weren’t working for me.”
But the one-time wild child has put that dark period behind her. She’s in recovery, in school, and parenting her baby girl, Seyah, who was born last year.
And, with her family’s support, Kidd now speaks to others battling addiction in the hopes of inspiring them to get sober too.
“The experience that I went through, I had to go through in order to help others,” Kidd said. “I talk to women. I share my story…This is a topic that no one likes to address.”
Staying sober isn’t easy, Kidd said, and drugs’ lure will be something she’ll always have to contend with. But she’s trying to be strong for the sake of her baby daughter.
“She’s my heart,” Kidd said of the tot. “She’s my motivation. She looks just like my father. She’s a blessing.”
Kidd said her father, Jason, who is now head coach for the Milwaukee Bucks, has been one of her biggest champions throughout her recovery.
“My father is an amazing man, and he is supportive in everything I do,” she said. “He’s gonna be there, no matter what.”
Kidd is using her sobriety as a stepping stone to emerge out of her father’s shadow. Although she dropped out of high school, Kidd is studying to become an addiction counselor and motivational speaker and plans to write a book about her life. She hopes to start a foundation for women in recovery – with a focus on pregnant women in treatment – like she once was.
Kidd said she hopes her trials and tribulations will aid other people grappling with addiction.
“My struggle is no secret anymore,” Kidd said. “I’ve made the decision to make my struggle someone else’s healing process.”
“I’m still in the process,” she added. “There’s no finish line for this. I’m growing. If I can help one person out of this whole thing, then that’s enough for me.”
