Former Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets player Chris Herren will join Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley and area teens Thursday at the DA’s yearly Basketball for Peace tournament.

Herren, a Fall River native and high school basketball standout, struggled with addiction to painkillers and other narcotics after breaking his wrist during his first collegiate game for Boston College. Now sober and committed to helping others suffering with substance abuse, Herren will offer words of inspiration and encouragement to the young people assembled for Conley’s fourth annual tournament.

Herren’s memoir, Basketball Junkie, and the ESPN documentary about his story, “Unguarded”, were both released to critical acclaim last year.

Now in their fourth year, the Feb. 23 games – to be held at the Salvation Army Kroc Center in Dorchester – bring city teens together with prosecutors, victim advocates, civilian investigators, and others from Conley’s office. About 60 youngsters from 12 to 15 will play on teams from the Bromley Heath Tenant Management Corporation; the Condon Community Center in South Boston; the Dorchester Youth Collaborative; the Revere Police Athletic League; the Salvation Army Bridging the Gap program in Dudley Square; and the Teen Center at St. Peter’s in Dorchester.

Leading the teams will be a crew of honorary captains selected for their service to the community: Erin Collins, the creator of a successful violence prevention program at a Boston school; Adam Gray, the 2012 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year; Deputy Superintendent William Gross of the Boston Police Department; Dr. Thea James, director of the Boston Medical Center’s Violence Intervention Program and member of the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence; Assistant District Attorney Migdalia Nalls, a Suffolk prosecutor and coach for the Massachusetts Bar Association High School Mock Trial Program; and Clayton Turnbull, an entrepreneur and advocate for minority-owned businesses in Boston.

Conley will present each captain with an award recognizing him or her as a role model who has found success through public service.

Basketball for Peace attracts kids, teens, and families from across the area for a day of healthy fun with prosecutors, victim advocates, civilian investigators, and others from the DA’s office. Also on hand are local police, non-profit groups, and social service providers, all for a day of safe, healthy fun.

Pre-game registration begins at 10:30 Thursday morning at 650 Dudley St. in Dorchester. The speaking program with Conley and Herren begins at about 1:20. Media are welcome to attend.