Thomas Doane Chambers (born June 21, 1959) is an American former professional National Basketball Association (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 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 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
At Utah, Chambers played center with star forward Danny Vranes. The two led successful teams in the Western Athletic Conference. 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 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.