Victor Kaleb Canales[1] (born July 7, 1978) is an American basketball coach who serves as an assistant coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League.
| Texas Legends | |
|---|---|
| Position | Assistant coach |
| League | NBA G League |
| Personal information | |
| Born | July 7, 1978 Laredo, Texas, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school | John B. Alexander (Laredo, Texas) |
| College | |
| Coaching career | 2001–present |
| Career history | |
| As coach: | |
| 2001–2002 | Martin HS (assistant) |
| 2002–2003 | United HS (assistant) |
| 2003–2004 | UT Arlington (assistant) |
| 2008–2012 | Portland Trail Blazers (assistant) |
| 2012 | Portland Trail Blazers (interim HC) |
| 2012–2013 | Portland Trail Blazers (assistant) |
| 2013–2018 | Dallas Mavericks (assistant) |
| 2018–2020 | New York Knicks (assistant) |
| 2020–2021 | Indiana Pacers (assistant) |
| 2023–present | Texas Legends (assistant) |
Early career
editBorn in Laredo, Texas, Canales is a graduate of John B. Alexander High School. He graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with a degree in kinesiology.[2][3] He later earned a master's degree in sports leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.[3] He did not play college basketball at any level.[4]
Canales began his coaching career as an assistant coach in 2001 at United High School of Laredo. The following year, Canales became an assistant coach at Martin High School also in Laredo. In 2003, Canales returned to UT Arlington to be an assistant coach.[2][5][6]
NBA / NBA G League coaching career
editIn 2005, Canales was hired as a video intern for the Portland Trail Blazers, and was eventually hired as the team's video coordinator. In 2009, he was promoted to an assistant coach for the team.[2][7] In 2010, Canales served as the Trail Blazers' head coach during the NBA Summer League.[8] He was promoted to interim head coach of the Trail Blazers after head coach Nate McMillan was dismissed on March 15, 2012.[9] Canales became the youngest active head coach in the NBA and the first Mexican-American coach in NBA history.[4][10] In 2012, Portland hired Terry Stotts as their head coach, but Canales remained with the team as an assistant.[11]
On May 3, 2013, Canales accepted an assistant coaching job with the Dallas Mavericks.[12]
In 2018, Canales was hired as an assistant coach for the New York Knicks under David Fizdale.[13] Canales remained with the team after Fizdale was fired in 2019 and worked under interim head coach Mike Miller.[14][15]
On November 13, 2020, Canales was hired as an assistant coach by the Indiana Pacers under Nate Bjorkgren.[16]
On October 9, 2023, Canales was hired as an associate head coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League.[17]
Head coaching record
edit| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portland | 2011–12 | 23 | 8 | 15 | .348 | 4th in Northwest | — | — | — | — | Missed playoffs |
| Career | 23 | 8 | 15 | .348 | — | — | — | — | |||
References
edit- ^ Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997
- ^ a b c Cardenas, Nino (June 30, 2010). "Making it big". Laredo Morning Times. Archived from the original on January 28, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ a b Freeman, Joe (July 16, 2010). "The Trail Blazers' unlikely leader: Kaleb Canales". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 19, 2010.
- ^ a b Freeman, Joe (March 18, 2012). "Trail Blazers turn to Kaleb Canales to repair fractured locker room". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
- ^ Gomez, Ray (April 15, 2009). "Laredoan "Blazing a Trail" with Portland". Pro8News.com. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ "The Final Four: Kaleb Canales". CSN Northwest. July 27, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2013.
- ^ Birnbach, Craig (February 6, 2010). "Hard work, no sleep propels this guy to Blazers' coaching job". KATU.com. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ Freeman, Joe (June 30, 2010). "Trail Blazers announce summer league roster". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 16, 2010.
- ^ Tokito, Mike (March 15, 2012). "Trail Blazers fire Nate McMillan as coach; assistant Kaleb Canales will finish season as interim coach". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
- ^ Portland Trail Blazers vs. San Antonio Spurs – Recap – April 23, 2012 – ESPN
- ^ Quick, Jason (August 7, 2012). "Kaleb Canales will stay with Blazers as assistant coach". The Oregonian. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
- ^ "Jim O' Brien retires; Dallas Mavericks hire Kaleb Canales as new coordinator". ESPN.com. May 3, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2013.
- ^ Case, Allison (June 18, 2018). "New York Knicks hire Kaleb Canales as assistant coach on Fizdale's staff (Report)". Elite Sports NY. Retrieved November 16, 2020.
- ^ "Knicks Relieve David Fizdale of Head Coaching Duties". NBA.com. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Knicks fire David Fizdale after Eastern Conference-worst 4-18 mark". ESPN.com. December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Pacers Name Assistant Coaches for 2020-21 Season". NBA.com. November 13, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ "Legends Announce 2023-24 Coaching Staff". OurSportsCentral.com. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 10, 2023.