Don Chaney
A quiet defensive force who won titles with the Celtics and later earned top coaching honors with the Rockets.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American basketball coach and player·Birthday: March 22·Baby Boomers
Biography
Don Chaney's basketball life is a study in quiet, consistent excellence. Emerging from Baton Rouge, he was drafted by the Boston Celtics in 1968, stepping into the daunting role of replacing a legend. His defensive grit and unselfish play fit perfectly into the Celtics' team-first ethos, earning him two championship rings alongside greats like John Havlicek. After his playing career, which included stints with several teams, he transitioned to coaching. His defining moment came in 1991, when he guided a Houston Rockets team missing its superstar, Hakeem Olajuwon, to a surprising 52-win season, an achievement that secured him the NBA Coach of the Year award. Chaney’s legacy is that of a consummate professional, valued as both a role player on legendary teams and a leader who could extract the most from his roster.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Don was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Don Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Don's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won two NBA championships as a player with the Boston Celtics in 1969 and 1974.
- Named the NBA Coach of the Year in 1991 while leading the Houston Rockets.
- Played a key defensive role for the Celtics during their post-Bill Russell championship era.
- Coached professionally for over two decades with multiple NBA franchises.
Did You Know?
He was selected by the Boston Celtics with the 12th overall pick in the 1968 NBA draft.
Chaney was a first-team All-Defensive selection in 1975 while playing for the Los Angeles Lakers.
He is one of the few individuals to have won an NBA championship as both a player and an assistant coach.
His nickname during his playing days was 'The Ducker.'
“Defense is not a part of the game; it is the game.”
