Phil Chenier

Philip Chenier (born October 30, 1950)[1][2] is an American former professional basketball player who was a shooting guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA)[3] for ten seasons.[4] He was also a television sports broadcaster for the NBA's Washington Wizards.[5]

Phil Chenier
Chenier in 2011
Personal information
Born (1950-10-30) October 30, 1950
Berkeley, California, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight180 lb (82 kg)
Career information
High schoolBerkeley (Berkeley, California)
CollegeCalifornia (1969–1971)
NBA draft1971: Hardship round, 4th overall pick
Selected by the Baltimore Bullets
Playing career1971–1981
PositionShooting guard
Number45, 30, 15
Career history
1971–1979Baltimore / Capital / Washington Bullets
1979–1980Indiana Pacers
1981Golden State Warriors
Career highlights and awards
Career statistics
Points9,931 (17.2 ppg)
Rebounds2,063 (3.6 rpg)
Assists1,742 (3.0 apg)
Stats  at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com

Early years

Born and raised in Berkeley, California, Chenier graduated from Berkeley High School and played college basketball at the University of California in Berkeley.[6]

NBA playing career

Chenier was selected fourth in the 1971 NBA Hardship Draft by the Baltimore Bullets, and played for them for eight seasons, from 1971 to 1979. The franchise moved from Baltimore to Washington in 1973, after his second season.[7] He was one of the better shooting guards in the NBA[8] for the first six seasons in his career, but he suffered a back injury early in the 1977–78 season and had season-ending surgery.[9][10] The Bullets went on to win the NBA title with Kevin Grevey as the shooting guard. Chenier was never the same player after that; he came back from his surgery late the next season, but never could crack the Bullets' starting lineup again.

Chenier was released by the Bullets after the 1978–79 season, and played briefly for the Indiana Pacers and Golden State Warriors and retired after the 1980–81 season.

Chenier, who was a 1972 NBA All-Rookie Team selection, averaged 17.2 points per game for his career, and was named to three NBA All-Star teams.[11]

In 2017, the Wizards announced that they would retire Chenier's number 45 jersey.[12] On March 23, 2018, Chenier's jersey was retired.[13]

Broadcasting career

Chenier, who got his start in television sports broadcasting with Home Team Sports back in 1985, has announced black college games alongside broadcasters Charlie Neil and James Brown for Black Entertainment Television. He was the color analyst for the Washington Bullets and Washington Wizards games on television from 1987 to 2017, with a final pairing for NBC Sports Washington alongside play-by-play commentator, Steve Buckhantz.

Personal life

Chenier resides in Columbia, Maryland, with his wife Gerry Chenier. He has two daughters, one son and grandchildren.

References
  1. "Phil Chenier Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  2. "NBA Players: Phil Chenier Profile and Basic Stats". www.landofbasketball.com. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  3. "Phil Chenier". NBA Stats. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  4. "Phil Chenier – National Basketball Retired Players Association". February 8, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  5. "Wizards will retire Phil Chenier's No. 45 jersey". NBC Sports Washington. September 14, 2017. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  6. Allen, Scott. "Phil Chenier on his jersey retirement: 'It's going to be a surreal kind of moment'". Washington Post.
  7. Lee, Albert (March 23, 2018). "Here are 5 facts on Phil Chenier's playing career". Bullets Forever. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  8. Abrams, Brett L.; Mazzone, Raphael (2013). The Bullets, the Wizards, and Washington, DC, Basketball. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-0-8108-8554-7.
  9. Bullets' Chenier Faces Back Surgery, web: The Sacramento Bee, 1978, retrieved March 13, 2023
  10. "Phil Chenier back injury Nov. '77". The Evening Sun. November 19, 1977. p. 10. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  11. Lee, Albert (March 23, 2018). "Here are 5 facts on Phil Chenier's playing career". Bullets Forever. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
  12. Steinberg, Dan (September 14, 2017). "Wizards will retire Phil Chenier's jersey". Washington Post. Retrieved September 15, 2017.
  13. Buckner, Candace (March 23, 2018). "Phil Chenier 'humbled to the deepest' as Bullets jersey finds home in rafters". Washington Post. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
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