One of, if not the first, stretch four in NBA history Tom Chambers was an 80s big man with a seldom seen blend of athleticism, agility and shooting range. And he used all those skills to become a 20,000 scorer in his career. He was a great player at Utah, playing with the Runnin’ Utes alongside Danny Vranes and would be picked 8th overall in the 1981 NBA draft which included guys like Isiah Thomas, Mark Aguirre, Rolando Blackman and Larry Nance. The beginning of his career would be spent on the San Diego Clippers where he would play well, but after two seasons he was shipped to Seattle as the Clippers preferred their other young big man, Terry Cummings. In Seattle, Chambers would average over 20 points per game across the 5 years he was there. He came as young player on a transitioning from aging stars Jack Sikma and Gus Williams. And although they wouldn’t have a ton of team success, once they acquired Xavier McDaniel and Dale Ellis, the 1987 Seattle Supersonics made an improbable run to the Western Conference Finals. They couldn’t replicate the success the next year and Tom Chambers found himself in uncharted waters as he was the first unrestricted free agent in NBA history. He would take his talents to Phoenix to play alongside Kevin Johnson and Jeff Hornacek, where he immediately became one of the best offensive players in the league and helped the Suns to back to back Western Conference Finals appearance. As Chambers began to slow down, the Suns acquired Charles Barkley and Chambers would be a rotation player during the Suns NBA Finals run in the 1993 NBA season. After this he would return home and play two solid years in Utah for the John Stockton and Karl Malone led Utah Jazz, where he would make one last Conference Finals appearance. He spent 1996 overseas playing for Maccabi Tel-Aviv before attempting brief NBA comebacks with the Charlotte Hornets and Philadelphia 76ers, until ultimately calling it quits in late 1997. He left the NBA as a 20,000 point scorer and one of the best and most unique offensive players of the 80s and 90s, yet for some reason he still hasn’t gotten his call to the NBA Hall of Fame. Whether you think he is deserving of that distinction or not, everyone can agree that Tom Chambers is one of the most underappreciated players in NBA history.
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