Thomas Doane Chambers (born June 21, 1959) is an American former professional

National Basketball Association The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball sports league, league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues i ...

(NBA) player. Chambers played basketball professionally from 1981 to 1997. Playing power forward in the NBA, Chambers was selected to four All-Star Games and he was also a two-time All-NBA Second Team member during his career. In December 2021, Chambers was nominated to the

Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pres ...

but did not advance to the list of finalists.

High school

Chambers starred at Fairview High School in Boulder, Colorado. Hailing from an athletic family, Chambers was a promising 6-2 guard at the end of his sophomore year. Suddenly, he grew six inches during the next six months. As a junior, teammates marveled that he had not lost any coordination with that growth. A

broken wrist In human anatomy, the wrist is variously defined as (1) the carpus or carpal bones, the complex of eight bones forming the proximal skeletal segment of the hand; "The wrist contains eight bones, roughly aligned in two rows, known as the carpal ...

as a senior forced him to use his left hand more, improving his game. An all-Colorado high school player, he was hotly recruited and enrolled at Utah.

College

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...

, Chambers played center with star forward Danny Vranes. The two led successful teams in the

Western Athletic Conference The Western Athletic Conference (WAC) is an NCAA Division I conference. The WAC covers a broad expanse of the western United States with member institutions located in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Utah, Washington, and Texas. Due to most of ...

. He ran the floor well and had good shooting range. At the NBA level he would move to power forward. On Feb. 5, 2022, Chambers' jersey and number, 42, was retired during the Utes' game against Oregon.

Professional career

San Diego Clippers

Chambers was drafted by the-then San Diego Clippers with the 8th pick in the 1981 NBA draft. After signing a $1.5 million four-year contract, he played at forward for the first time after being a center in college. On the injury-riddled young Clippers roster his rookie year, Chambers ended up the team's top scorer at 17.2 points per game, and he made 52.5% of his shots. On April 15, 1982, he set a then-career-high points total of 39 points in a 129–123 win against the Portland Trail Blazers. The following season, on October 29, 1982, Chambers scored 29 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in San Diego’s home opener, a loss to the Phoenix Suns. The same season, the team had drafted power forward Terry Cummings, who went on to win Rookie of the Year, and the club felt it had to choose between the two young prospects, and they traded Chambers and Al Wood for James Donaldson, Greg Kelser, Mark Radford, a 1984 first round draft pick ( Michael Cage was later selected) and a 1985 2nd round draft pick ( Calvin Duncan was later selected).

Seattle SuperSonics

Teaming with center Jack Sikma and guard Gus Williams, Chambers became a key piece to a winning team in his third NBA season. He played all 82 games and averaged 18.1 points per game. The following year, though, Williams was traded, and the point guard who emerged was Gerald Henderson. After posting a team-high 21.5 points per game the season before, Chambers fell to third-most on the team in shot attempts, taking only 28 more shots more than Henderson that season. He still led the team at 18.5 points per game, but felt he was being passed around in the offense. 1986–87, however, was a big season for Chambers. Rookie Nate McMillan took over Henderson's spot and Chambers became one of three key scorers for the Sonics. He posted 23.3 points per game to reach All-Star status for the first time. Chambers hit 85% of 630 free throw tries that season. He also again played all 82 games. He was the star of the 1987 NBA All-Star Game, played in Seattle. He scored 34 points on 13 of 25 shooting and was named Game's Most Valuable Player. With the SuperSonics, he averaged 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.

Phoenix Suns

An avid hunter and horseback rider, Chambers had no interest in playing outside of his native West. He accepted a then-very pricey offer to join the Phoenix Suns in June 1988. Seattle declined to match the offer. His next three All-Star appearances would be as a Sun, the team he still works for today. In Phoenix, coach Cotton Fitzsimmons expected Chambers to shoot the ball. In 1988–89 Chambers scored 25.7 points per game. In 1989–90 his total rose to 27.2 points per game. Just as his scoring hit new highs his team also improved. Point guard

Kevin Johnson Kevin Johnson may refer to: Entertainment *Kevin Johnson (singer) (born 1942), Australian singer * Kevin Johnson (ventriloquist) (born 1970), ventriloquist on ''America's Got Talent'' * Kevin Royal Johnson (born 1961), American singer-songwriter a ...

was the passer Chambers had long-awaited, and the duo became an outstanding NBA tandem. Former Seattle teammate, Xavier McDaniel, joined the team in 1990–91, and the now 31-year-old Chambers again accepted a more team-oriented role for the Suns. His scoring, and the team's success, declined. He had been twice named All-NBA Second Team, but now just tried to fit in. In 1992–93, the fifth and final season in Phoenix,

Charles Barkley Charles Wade Barkley (born February 20, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player who is a television analyst on TNT. Nicknamed "Sir Charles", "Chuck", and "the Round Mound of Rebound", Barkley played 16 seasons in the Nati ...

arrived to give the team the rebounder the team had long needed to truly contend. The now 33-year-old Chambers accepted a role as

sixth man The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in. The sixth man often plays minutes equal to or exceeding some of the sta ...

, while Barkley and Dan Majerle were the team's key scorers. That team made it to the 1993 NBA Finals, where they lost 4 games to 2 to

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on Januar ...

Utah Jazz

Chambers still felt he had more to contribute, and accepted an offer to join the Utah Jazz in August 1993. He would back up star

Karl Malone Karl Anthony Malone (born July 24, 1963) is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "the Mailman", he is considered one of the greatest power forwards in NBA history. Malone spen ...

, and re-team with Jeff Hornacek from the Suns. The Jazz improved immediately and made it to the 1994 Western Conference Finals. Now age 35, Chambers had one more year to give before ending his first stint in the NBA as a 20,024 point NBA scorer.

Israel

Chambers joined

Maccabi Tel Aviv Maccabi Tel Aviv ( he, מכבי תל אביב) is one of the largest sports clubs in Israel, and a part of the Maccabi association. Many sports clubs and teams in Tel Aviv are in association with Maccabi and compete in a variety of sports, such ...

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

, for a season of play in the

Israeli Super League The Israeli Premier League ( he, ליגת העל, ''Ligat Ha`Al'', ), is a professional association football league which operates as the highest division of the Israeli Football League – the state's league of Israel. The league is contested b ...

and the FIBA EuroLeague, during the 1995–96 season. In the Israeli Super League, Chambers averaged 17.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game. He also won the Israeli League championship that season with Maccabi. In the FIBA EuroLeague's 1995–96 season, Chambers averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 0.7 steals per game, in 32.8 minutes per game.

End of playing career

After his stint in Israel, Chambers decided to reunite with the Phoenix Suns. However, before playing a single game of a second run there, he was traded to the

Charlotte Hornets The Charlotte Hornets are an American professional basketball team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Hornets compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division, and pla ...

. He played twelve games with the Hornets but was then waived. Chambers would play in one more NBA game, with the

Philadelphia 76ers The Philadelphia 76ers, colloquially known as the Sixers, are an American professional basketball team based in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. The 76ers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Ea ...

, during the 1997–98 regular season, before retiring. In the last game of his career, played on November 26, 1997, he had six points, two rebounds, and two steals for the 76ers, against 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 league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, in his only appearance with the team.

Player profile

Chambers appeared in 16 NBA seasons as a member of the San Diego Clippers,

Seattle SuperSonics The Seattle SuperSonics (commonly known as the Seattle Sonics) were an American professional basketball team based in Seattle. The SuperSonics competed in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member club of the league's Western Conf ...

Phoenix Suns The Phoenix Suns are an American professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA), as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference Pacific Division (NBA), P ...

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference, Northwest Division. Since the 1991–92 season, ...

, and

."Chambers, Tom." ''2005–06 Official NBA Player Register''. 2005. 338–339. Chambers scored 20,049 total points in the NBA for a career average of 18.1 points per game. His career high was a 60-point performance with the Suns against the Sonics on March 24, 1990. He appeared in four

NBA All-Star Game The National Basketball Association All-Star Game is a basketball exhibition game hosted every February by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and showcases 24 of the league's star players. It is the featured event of NBA All-Star Weekend, ...

s during his career (1987, 1989, 1990, and 1991), earning game MVP honors in 1987 after scoring 34 points. He also played in the

1993 NBA Finals The 1993 NBA Finals was the championship round of the 1992–93 NBA season, and the conclusion of the season's playoffs. It featured the two-time defending NBA champion and Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan, and t ...

as a member of the Suns, but his team lost to the

. He is one of just two players currently eligible for induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame who have scored 20,000 points who have not been inducted.

Legacy

Chambers was inducted into the

Phoenix Suns Ring of Honor The Ring of Honor is an award given to prominent players and employees of the professional basketball team, the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Awardees are selected to recognize the significant role the individual has had ...

in April 1999 and became the first inductee since the Ring of Honor was installed at the then-America West Arena (now Footprint Center). As part of the induction ceremony, he received a bronze statue by artist Sam Wickey recreating his 1989 dunk over 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 New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

guard

Mark Jackson Mark A. Jackson (born April 1, 1965) is an American former professional basketball player. A point guard from St. John's University, he played for the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers, Indiana Pacers, Denver Nuggets, Toronto Raptors, Utah ...

. Chambers was also honored with being inducted into the

Utah Sports Hall of Fame The Utah Sports Hall of Fame is an athletics hall of fame in the U.S. state of Utah. The Utah Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, organized in 1967 as The Old Time Athletes Association, was founded "to celebrate and preserve Utah's storied sports heri ...

in 2010, and the Arizona Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, 81 , , 58 , , 33.1 , , .525 , , .000 , , .620 , , 6.9 , , 1.8 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 17.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 79 , , 79 , , 33.7 , , .472 , , .000 , , .723 , , 6.6 , , 2.4 , , 1.0 , , 0.7 , , 17.6 , - , , style="text-align:left;",

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, 82 , , 44 , , 31.3 , , .499 , , .000 , , .800 , , 6.5 , , 1.6 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 18.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 81 , , 60 , , 36.1 , , .483 , , .273 , , .832 , , 7.1 , , 2.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 21.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 66 , , 26 , , 30.6 , , .466 , , .271 , , .836 , , 6.5 , , 2.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 18.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 36.8 , , .456 , , .372 , , .849 , , 6.6 , , 3.0 , , 1.0 , , 0.6 , , 23.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , 82 , , 32.7 , , .448 , , .303 , , .807 , , 6.0 , , 2.6 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 20.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 81 , , 81 , , 37.1 , , .471 , , .326 , , .851 , , 8.4 , , 2.9 , , 1.1 , , 0.7 , , 25.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 81 , , 81 , , 37.6 , , .501 , , .279 , , .861 , , 7.0 , , 2.3 , , 1.1 , , 0.6 , , 27.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 76 , , 75 , , 32.6 , , .437 , , .274 , , .826 , , 6.4 , , 2.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.7 , , 19.9 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 69 , , 66 , , 28.2 , , .431 , , .367 , , .830 , , 5.8 , , 2.1 , , 0.8 , , 0.5 , , 16.3 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 73 , , 0 , , 23.6 , , .447 , , .393 , , .837 , , 4.7 , , 1.4 , , 0.6 , , 0.3 , , 12.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 0 , , 23.0 , , .440 , , .311 , , .786 , , 4.1 , , 1.0 , , 0.5 , , 0.4 , , 11.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 80 , , 4 , , 15.3 , , .457 , , .167 , , .807 , , 2.6 , , 0.9 , , 0.3 , , 0.4 , , 6.2 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Charlotte Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont (United States), Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Meckl ...

, 12 , , 5 , , 6.9 , , .226 , , .667 , , .750 , , 1.2 , , 0.3 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 1.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, 1 , , 0 , , 10.0 , , 1.000 , , — , , 1.000 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 2.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 1,107 , , 734 , , 30.6 , , .468 , , .307 , , .807 , , 6.1 , , 2.1 , , 0.8 , , 0.6 , , 18.1 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 4 , , 1 , , 21.0 , , .518 , , .400 , , .773 , , 4.0 , , 1.3 , , 1.5 , , 0.0 , , 19.3

Playoffs

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

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast As ...

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

, 5, , —, , 38.2, , .475, , .000, , .667, , 6.6, , 1.6, , 1.0, , 0.6, , 13.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airpor ...

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

, 14, , 14, , 35.6, , .449, , .333, , .808, , 6.4, , 2.3, , 0.9, , 0.9, , 23.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1988 , style="text-align:left;",

, 5, , 5, , 33.6, , .549, , .000, , .829, , 6.2, , 2.2, , 0.6, , 0.2, , 25.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker ru ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 12, , 12, , 41.3, , .459, , .409, , .859, , 10.9, , 3.8, , 1.1, , 1.3, , 26.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", 1990 , style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 16, , 16, , 38.3, , .425, , .263, , .879, , 6.7, , 1.9, , 0.4, , 0.4, , 22.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 4, , 4, , 35.5, , .409, , .000, , .737, , 5.8, , 2.5, , 1.8, , 1.3, , 17.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment building in Amsterdam after two of its engines ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 7, , 0, , 27.7, , .459, , .571, , .844, , 4.4, , 2.7, , 0.3, , 0.7, , 15.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

, style="text-align:left;", Phoenix , 24, , 1, , 15.7, , .388, , .400, , .815, , 2.7, , 0.5, , 0.3, , 0.4, , 7.3 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which sank in the Baltic Sea; Nelson Ma ...

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

, 16, , 0, , 20.3, , .361, , .000, , .793, , 2.8, , 0.8, , 0.3, , 0.6, , 5.8 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

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

, 5, , 0, , 12.0, , .500, , .333, , .692, , 2.6, , 0.4, , 0.4, , 0.0, , 6.4 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 108 , , 52 , , 28.3 , , .440 , , .303 , , .827 , , 5.3 , , 1.7 , , 0.6 , , 0.6 , , 15.4

Personal life

After his playing career ended, Chambers bought a ranch in North Ogden for himself and family which became known as Shooting Star Ranch. Soon after, he became a community relations representative for the Suns, sold his ranch in Ogden, and moved permanently to Scottsdale, Arizona with his family. He also won a Rocky Mountain Emmy alongside senior editor Tommy Arguelles for their work on ''Sunderella Suns'', a film commemorating the 40th anniversary of the

1975–76 Phoenix Suns season The 1975–76 Phoenix Suns season was the eighth season for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association. The season included an improbable run to the NBA Finals by a team that had never won a playoff series and made the playoffs only o ...

and the impact that season had on the state of Arizona as a whole.

References

External links

NBA.com Historical Player InfoIsraeli Super League Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chambers, Tom 1959 births Living people American expatriate basketball people in Israel American men's basketball players Basketball players from Utah Charlotte Hornets players Israeli Basketball Premier League players Maccabi Tel Aviv B.C. players National Basketball Association All-Stars Philadelphia 76ers players Phoenix Suns announcers Phoenix Suns players Power forwards (basketball) San Diego Clippers draft picks San Diego Clippers players Seattle SuperSonics players Sportspeople from Ogden, Utah Utah Jazz players Utah Utes men's basketball players

High school

College

Professional career

San Diego Clippers

Seattle SuperSonics

Phoenix Suns

Utah Jazz

Israel

End of playing career

Player profile

Legacy

NBA career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

Personal life

See also

References

External links