Hall of FamE
VAN CHANCELLOR
CLASS OF 2025
Following a successful run at the University of Mississippi, Van Chancellor was named the head coach of the Houston Comets in 1997. In his first year, Chancellor led the Comets to unprecedented achievement, setting the record for the highest winning percentage in the history of both the WNBA and the NBA.
Watch Van Chancellor the moment he found out he had been selected for the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.
In all, Chancellor helped guide the Comets to 4 straight WNBA championships from 1997 to 2000, a record which still stands today. He won WNBA Coach of the Year three consecutive years, from 1997 to 1999, solidifying his place among the greatest basketball coaches of all time.
For his efforts at all levels of basketball, Chancellor was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007.
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In addition to his successful tenure with the Comets, Chancellor also helped bring gold back to the United States when he served as head coach of Team USA in multiple international tournaments, including the 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece. He finished his tenure at USA Basketball with a perfect 38-0 record.
A native of Louisville, Mississippi, Chancellor grew up playing basketball before joining the team at East Central Junior College in Decatur, Mississippi. Afterward, he continued his education at the University of Mississippi, where he began coaching boys' basketball at Noxapater High School his senior year.
Van Chancellor
HOF Painting
Van Chancellor HOF Ring