Donald Ray Chaney (born March 22, 1946) is an American former professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player and coach, most notable for winning two championships as a player on the

Boston Celtics The Boston Celtics ( ) are an American professional basketball team based in Boston. The Celtics compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NBA), Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), ...

, and winning NBA Coach of the Year while leading the

Houston Rockets The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston. The Rockets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southwest Division (NBA), Southwest Division of the Western Conference (NBA) ...

Early life

Donald Ray Chaney was born on March 22, 1946, in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; , ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It had a population of 227,470 at the 2020 United States census, making it List of municipalities in Louisiana, Louisiana's second-m ...

. He attended McKinley High School where he excelled in basketball.

College career

Chaney played basketball in college for the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

, where he was a teammate of future Basketball Hall-of-Famer Elvin Hayes. Chaney played all 40 minutes of the famed " Game of the Century" at the

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, formerly and also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, was the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas, United States. It seated around 50,000 fans, with a record atte ...

Professional career

Boston Celtics (1968–1975)

In that year's 1968 NBA draft, Chaney became the first-round pick (12th overall) of the

; he was also drafted by the

Houston Mavericks The Houston Mavericks were a charter member of the American Basketball Association (ABA). They played in the upstart league's first two seasons, from 1967–68 ABA season, 1967 to 1968–69 ABA season, 1969. Their home arena was the Sam Houston Co ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

. Chaney became a champion with the Boston Celtics during his rookie year, in 1969. On February 28, 1973, Chaney set a career high in points score with 32, in a win over the

Golden State Warriors The Golden State Warriors are an American professional basketball team based in San Francisco. The Warriors compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. Founded in 1946 i ...

. He would also help the Celtics toward winning the 1974 NBA Finals.

Spirits of St. Louis (1975–1976)

Chaney played in the ABA for one year with the Spirits of St. Louis from 1975 to 1976 due to the money offered. He suffered a torn knee early in the year and later called the experience playing in St. Louis "a lost season for me."

Los Angeles Lakers (1976–1977)

Chaney had a short two season stint with the

Los Angeles Lakers The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Lakers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division (NBA), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NBA ...

from 1976 to 1977. Chaney was widely known for his defensive skills, appearing on NBA all-defensive teams five times during his career. He was also known for providing notable numbers in minutes off the bench.

Return to the Boston Celtics (1977–1980)

Chaney returned to the Boston Celtics in 1977. Chaney is the only Boston Celtic who played with both Bill Russell (

1956 Events January * January 1 – The Anglo-Egyptian Sudan, Anglo-Egyptian Condominium ends in Sudan after 57 years. * January 8 – Operation Auca: Five U.S. evangelical Christian Missionary, missionaries, Nate Saint, Roger Youderian, E ...

– 1969) and

Larry Bird Larry Joe Bird (born December 7, 1956) is an American former professional basketball player, coach, and executive in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Hick from French Lick" and "Larry Legend" Bird is widely regarded a ...

(

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

–

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

Coaching career

After his playing career ended, Chaney became an assistant coach for the

Detroit Pistons The Detroit Pistons are an American professional basketball team based in Detroit. The Pistons compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Division of the Eastern Conference (NBA), East ...

in 1980.

Los Angeles Clippers (1984–1987)

On March 13, 1985, Chaney was hired by the

Los Angeles Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in the Greater Los Angeles area. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. The ...

, replacing Jim Lynam with 21 games left in the 1984–85 season. It was noted at the time that he was just the twelfth African American head coach in the NBA (of the twelve, ten were former players, and five had played for the Celtics). Chaney went 9–12 to lead the team to an ultimate finish of 31-51 and a tie for fourth place in the Pacific Division, which actually was their best finish since 1978. The 1985 season would be the first with Chaney as head coach for a full season, which saw them draft Benoit Benjamin as the third pick that year. Chaney believed that Benjamin could eventually become a "better offensive player than Ewing". The team, composed of veteran players and fresh rookies, went 32–50. In a Western Conference with eight playoff spots for twelve teams, the Clippers finished three games short of a playoff spot. In 1986, Chaney nearly came to blows with Benjamin. During a pregame shoot-around, Benjamin showed up late and then sat on the side of the court rather than participate in practice. Chaney called Benjamin and stated that if he was one of his teammates and say he would kick him in the behind before deciding that he probably should kick him right now, although the crowd around Chaney helped calm him down. His second full season was a disaster. Wracked with injuries, the Clippers had a 12-game losing streak in the first eighteen games of the season and did not reach ten wins until the 54th game of the season. They closed the season out on a 14-game losing streak to finish 12–70, which at the time made them the holder of the second-worst record for a season in NBA history. On April 22, 1987, he was fired to be replaced by Gene Shue.

Houston Rockets (1988–1992)

On June 13, 1988, Chaney was hired by the

as head coach to replace Bill Fitch, who had been fired one week ago. The Rockets had made the postseason the past four seasons but hadn't made it past the second round since 1987. In his first season, the Rockets went 45-37 and finished 5th in the Western Conference. They met the Seattle Supersonics in the First round but lost in four games. The next year saw them finish 41-41 and finish as the eight seed in the West and a four-game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. The third season under Chaney was a tough battle. The Rockets played at .500 ball for the first half of the season but found themselves in a bind when

Hakeem Olajuwon Hakeem Abdul Olajuwon ( ; ; born January 21, 1963), nicknamed "the Dream", is a Nigerian and American former professional basketball player. From 1984 to 2002, he played Center (basketball), center in the National Basketball Association (NB ...

suffered a bone fracture in his right eye in January 1991 that saw him miss 25 games. By the All-Star Game break, the Rockets were 27–21. However, a tremendous March carried them mightily, as they lost only once in 15 games that month before they finished with 52 wins, the first time they had won 50 games since 1986. They finished 5th in the conference and met the Lakers in the first round. The three games were decided by point margins of two, eleven, and four, but the Lakers won each of the games to sweep the Rockets. For his efforts, Chaney was awarded the NBA Coach of the Year Award, the second Rocket to win the award. The next season was tumultuous. They had a hot start to get the year going, winning nine of their first twelve games, but it was followed by five straight losses. At the All-Star Break, they were 25–22. On February 12, 1992, Chaney was fired with the team at 26-26. The firing came one day after a loss by the Rockets to the Minnesota Timberwolves (who had nine wins prior to the game) in overtime, in which the Rockets had led by 24 points in the third quarter and days earlier lost a game where they had led by ten points. Chaney was 164–134 as coach of the Rockets, with a .561 winning percentage that was the best in team history to that point. Owner Charlie Thomas did not put blame on Chaney, stating, "You can`t fire the team and something had to be done. Once you see that things are deteriorating, you have to do something." Assistant head coach Rudy Tomjanovich was named interim head coach.

Detroit Pistons (1993–1995)

On May 4, 1993, Chaney was hired to coach the

. The Pistons had just experienced a season of turmoil under Ron Rothstein, who led the team to their first non playoff season since 1983, and Chaney (who had served as assistant coach under Rothstein that year) pledged to be a great communicator. Composed of aging superstars such as

Isiah Thomas Isiah Lord Thomas III ( ; born April 30, 1961), also known as "Zeke", is an American former professional basketball player who is head coach of the Saginaw Soul of the Basketball Super League, and also an analyst for NBA TV and Fox Sports. H ...

and Bill Laimbeer to go with new acquisitions such as Sean Elliott and draft pick Lindsey Hunter, the Pistons struggled after a 5–4 start. A practice scuffle between Thomas and Laimbeer saw a broken hand for Thomas and led Laimbeer to retire. A 14-game losing streak saw the team with eleven wins at the All-Star break. By the end of a 13-game losing streak to end the year, the Pistons had won just 20 games to finish with their worst record since 1980. Thomas retired after the season due to an Achilles tendon rupture. The following season would be the last one for Chaney. In a new era without Laimbeer and Thomas, the Pistons drafted Grant Hill and retooled their lineup. While Hill would shine as an All-Star pick, the Pistons crumbled by the midpoint of the year, with a 1–13 run at one point that saw Hunter hurt before the Pistons season came to a merciful end that saw them go 1–8 to end a year with 28 wins. On April 11, 1995, Chaney was fired, with Doug Collins replacing him.

New York Knicks (2001–2004)

In the 2001–02 season, Chaney was serving as assistant head coach for the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the Na ...

under Jeff Van Gundy. On December 10, 2001, Chaney became head coach of the Knicks to replace Van Gundy, who cited a "diminished focus" as a reason for resigning after 19 games. Noting the demands of owner James L. Dolan, Chaney stated that his goals were to win and make the playoffs. Contemporary reports stated that Dolan was hoping for a coach that would not only make a quality postseason run but also have a media-friendly coach, and Chaney was perceived as potentially cultivating a more relaxed atmosphere. The team went 20–43 under Chaney as head coach and finished the season 30–52, 18 more losses than in the previous campaign, and missed the playoffs for the first time in 15 years. Chaney was retained for the next season. The following season saw the Knicks hope that first-round draft pick Antonio McDyess would help improve the team's fortunes, but a knee injury saw him miss the whole season. As such, with a lineup including Allan Houston, the Knicks started the year 2–10 and never recovered to make a serious run at a playoff berth, finishing with a 37–45 record, five games out of the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. In December 2003, James Dolan hired

as Knicks president of basketball operations and emphasized the need for the team to make the playoffs. Not long after, the Knicks traded for Stephon Marbury, a point guard they hoped would improve their 10th place standing in the Eastern Conference 38 games into the season with the NBA's highest payroll. During a January 8 game at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

, Knicks fans chanted "Fire Chaney!" during a loss. Thomas, noting the players' confidence in Chaney, stated that his job is to "sit back and evaluate and see where that process is going." On January 14, Chaney was fired, two hours before a game was to start. He went as Knicks head coach, the fourth worst head coaching record in team history. The following year, Chaney stated that he regretted not getting a true opportunity to coach the team with Marbury, a quality point guard who was traded to New York only nine days before Chaney was fired. Chaney was offered a position as an assistant to Paul Silas with the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers, often referred to as the Cavs, are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division (NBA), Central Divis ...

, which he declined, hoping to find a head coaching position elsewhere. Chaney retired in 2004.

Personal life

Chaney was known for partaking in "daredevil"-esque stunts, including skydiving and racecar driving, during his coaching career. In 2019, he was diagnosed with transthyretim amyloid cardiomyopathy, a lethal disease that disproportionately impacts African Americans. He had assumed that his symptoms of fatigue, palpitations, shortness of breath, and swollen ankles were from his playing days; but he learned that they were similar to the symptoms members of his family had experienced before their deaths from heart disease. While the disease was hereditary, his sisters and daughters tested negative for it. His wife, Jackie Chaney, served as his primary caregiver to help manage his condition.

Career playing statistics

NBA/ABA

Source

Regular season

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" , - ! Year ! Team ! GP ! GS ! MPG ! FG% ! 3P% ! FT% ! RPG ! APG ! SPG ! BPG ! PPG , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, 20 , , , , 10.5 , , .319 , , , , .400 , , 2.3 , , 1.0 , , , , , , 4.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 63 , , , , 13.3 , , .359 , , , , .752 , , 2.4 , , 1.1 , , , , , , 5.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , , , 28.3 , , .454 , , , , .748 , , 5.7 , , 2.9 , , , , , , 11.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , , , 28.8 , , .475 , , , , .773 , , 5.0 , , 2.6 , , , , , , 11.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , , , 31.5 , , .482 , , , , .787 , , 5.7 , , 2.8 , , , , , , 13.1 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", † , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , , , 27.9 , , .464 , , , , .828 , , 4.7 , , 2.2 , , 1.0 , , .8 , , 10.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , , , 26.9 , , .428 , , , , .806 , , 4.5 , , 2.2 , , 1.5 , , .8 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", St. Louis (ABA) , 48 , , , , 30.7 , , .418 , , .250 , , .780 , , 4.9 , , 3.5 , , 1.4 , , .8 , , 9.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 81 , , , , 29.7 , , .408 , , , , .745 , , 4.1 , , 3.8 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , 6.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 9 , , , , 14.8 , , .361 , , , , .833 , , 1.2 , , 1.9 , , .9 , , .3 , , 3.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 42 , , , , 16.7 , , .391 , , , , .846 , , 2.5 , , 1.2 , , .9 , , .2 , , 5.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , , , 16.5 , , .420 , , , , .857 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , 1.1 , , .2 , , 5.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 60 , , 0 , , 8.7 , , .354 , , .167 , , .762 , , 1.2 , , .6 , , .5 , , .2 , , 2.8 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (NBA) , 742 , , 0 , , 23.5 , , .438 , , .167 , , .776 , , 3.9 , , 2.1 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 8.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career (overall) , 790 , , 0 , , 23.9 , , .436 , , .200 , , .776 , , 4.0 , , 2.2 , , 1.2 , , .5 , , 8.4

Playoffs

{, class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size:95%; text-align:right;" , - ! Year ! Team ! GP ! MPG ! FG% ! FT% ! RPG ! APG ! SPG ! BPG ! PPG , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1969† , style="text-align:left;",

, 7 , , 3.6 , , .167 , , .750 , , .6 , , .0 , , , , , , .7 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 24.6 , , .506 , , .750 , , 3.5 , , 2.0 , , , , , , 8.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 12 , , 24.0 , , .476 , , .706 , , 3.3 , , 2.1 , , , , , , 7.5 , - , style="text-align:left;background:#afe6ba;", 1974† , style="text-align:left;",

, style="background:#cfecec;" , 18* , , 30.3 , , .461 , , .820 , , 4.3 , , 2.2 , , 1.3 , , .5 , , 9.5 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 – Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 11 , , 26.7 , , .457 , , .793 , , 3.5 , , 1.9 , , 1.9 , , .5 , , 10.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, style="text-align:left;", L.A. Lakers , 11 , , 37.5 , , .375 , , .727 , , 4.7 , , 4.4 , , 1.9 , , .3 , , 8.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 70 , , 26.2 , , .450 , , .775 , , 3.6 , , 2.2 , , 1.7 , , .4 , , 8.1

Head coaching record

, - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 21, , 9, , 12, , , , align="center", 5th in Pacific, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 32, , 50, , , , align="center", 4th in Pacific, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", L.A. Clippers , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 12, , 70, , , , align="center", 6th in Pacific, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 45, , 37, , , , align="center", 2nd in Midwest, , , 4, , 1, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 41, , 41, , , , align="center", 5th in Midwest, , , 4, , 1, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 52, , 30, , , , align="center", 3rd in Midwest, , , 3, , 0, , 3, , , style="text-align:center;", Lost in First round , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 52, , 26, , 26, , , , align="center", (fired), , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - , style="text-align:left;",

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 20, , 62, , , , align="center", 7th in Central, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;",

, style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 28, , 54, , , , align="center", 7th in Central, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", New York , style="text-align:left;", , 63, , 20, , 43, , , , align="center", 7th in Atlantic, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", New York , style="text-align:left;", , 82, , 37, , 45, , , , align="center", 6th in Atlantic, , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", Missed playoffs , - , style="text-align:left;", New York , style="text-align:left;", , 39, , 15, , 24, , , , align="center", (fired), , , —, , —, , —, , — , style="text-align:center;", — , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:left;", Career , , , 831, , 337, , 494, , , , , , 11, , 2, , 9, , , ,

Awards

* 1969 NBA Finals and 1974 NBA Finals champion * NBA All-Defensive second team (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977) * NBA Coach of the Year Award with the Houston Rockets for the 1990–91 season, after leading the Houston Rockets to a 50–32 record. * Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame (1991) * Gold medal-winning US national team at the 1994 FIBA World Championship in Toronto, assistant coach

References

External links

NBA coach bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaney, Don 1946 births Living people 20th-century African-American sportsmen 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen African-American basketball coaches American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players Basketball coaches from Louisiana Basketball players from Baton Rouge, Louisiana Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Detroit Pistons head coaches Houston Cougars men's basketball players Houston Mavericks draft picks Houston Rockets head coaches Los Angeles Clippers head coaches Los Angeles Lakers players McKinley Senior High School alumni New York Knicks head coaches Parade High School All-Americans (boys' basketball) Shooting guards Spirits of St. Louis players