Background
Chaney, Don was born on March 22, 1946 in Baton Rouge, Los Angeles, California, United States.
Chaney, Don was born on March 22, 1946 in Baton Rouge, Los Angeles, California, United States.
University Houston, Houston, Texas.
Chaney played basketball in college for the University of Houston, 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. That year Chaney became the first-round pick (12th overall) of the Boston Celtics in the 1968 National Basketball Association Draft.
He was also drafted by the Houston Mavericks of the American Basketball Association.
He would also help the Celtics toward winning the 1974 National Basketball Association Finals. He had two stints with the Boston Celtics (1968–1975, and 1977–1980), for which he is most notable.
He also had a short two season stint with the Los Angeles Lakers from 1976–1978, and also played in the American Bar Association for one year with the Spirits of Saint Louis from 1975-1976. Chaney was mostly known for his defensive skills, providing adequate numbers in minutes off the bench.
Chaney is the only Boston Celtic who played with both Bill Russell (1956–1969) and Larry Bird (1979–1992).
22 seasons as a coach (12 as National Basketball Association head coach):
Los Angeles Clippers, (1984-1985 through 1986-1987)
Houston Rockets, (1988-1989 through 1991-1992)
Detroit Pistons, (1993-1994 through 1994-1995)
New York Knicks, (2001-2002 through 2003-2004).
