New York Knicks Extend Contract of Head Coach Don Chaney

“Don has shown exemplary on and off-court leadership and we are very pleased to give him this opportunity,” Layden said. “We feel extending his contract at this time gives Don and the team the opportunity to concentrate on basketball for the long term.”

“We have great confidence that Don is the right person to lead the Knicks,” said James L. Dolan, chairman of Madison Square Garden and president and CEO of Cablevision Systems Corporation. “We appreciated his willingness to step into a challenging position last December and believe that he has shown all the qualities that the Knicks need to succeed.”

“When searching for someone to lead you, an organization always looks for a person of great character,” said Steve Mills, MSG President, Sports Team Operations. “We know today more than ever that Don Chaney fits the mold and is a great choice for the organization.”

“I am very grateful to the Knicks organization, and am looking forward to the future,” Chaney said. “As a player and a coach, New York has always been a very special place to me, and I am determined to lead the team through this transition and back to NBA prominence.”

Overall, Chaney has 23 years of coaching experience, including 10 as a head coach. He enjoyed his best success at the helm of the Houston Rockets from 1988-92, posting a 164-134 (.550) record (second-best in franchise history), including NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1991. He also had head coaching stints with the Los Angeles Clippers (1984-’87) and Detroit Pistons (1993-’95) and has an all-time head coaching record of 276-409 (.403). He has spent the last eight years with the Knicks organization, serving as top assistant for both Don Nelson and Jeff Van Gundy, before taking over the head coaching reigns on December 10, 2001. He is the 19th head coach in the Knicks’ 57 years of basketball.

The Louisiana native played professional basketball for 12 years, was part of two NBA Championships as a member of the Boston Celtics (in 1969 and ’74) and was a five-time NBA All-Defensive Second-Team selection. Chaney was a first round pick of the Celtics out of the University of Houston in 1968, and spent nine of his 12 seasons in Boston. He also spent two years with the Los Angeles Lakers, a season with the ABA’s legendary Spirits of St. Louis, and holds the unique distinction of being the only player to play alongside both Bill Russell and Larry Bird.