Getty New York Knicks' Quentin Grimes #24 reacts with former Houston Cougar teammates after being defeated by the Baylor Bears during the 2021 NCAA Final Four.
New York Knicks starting shooting guard Quentin Grimes has been training with NBA legend Anfernee Hardaway with a heavy heart in Memphis.
On Tuesday, Grimes received heartbreaking news — the death of his former University of Houston teammate Reggie Chaney.
Chaney, 23, died Monday. The former Cougars forward was found by a family friend unresponsive in a bedroom at an apartment in Arlington, Texas, according to a Houston Chronicle report.
The cause of his death was not immediately known, but foul play was not suspected.
Reggie Chaney, teammate of Quentin Grimes on the University of Houston’s 2021 Final Four team, passed away Monday. He was 23. RIP
Grimes is in Memphis, where Hardaway is based, and coaching the Tigers.
Hardaway, who played for the Knicks late in his career, posted a meaningful post about Grimes’ training with him on Instagram.
“So much knowledge to be given. So much knowledge to be taken,” Hardaway said in his Instagram post.
Hardaway was Orlando Magic’s third overall pick in 1993. He teamed up with Shaquille O’Neal and led the Magic to a Finals appearance during the 1994-95 season. The 6-foot-7 combo guard was a four-time NBA All-Star and one of the brightest young stars in the league when knee injuries derailed his career.
He turned to coaching, finding success first at the AAU circuit before the Memphis Tigers, his alma mater, hired him in 2018. He’s been training Grimes during offseasons since his pre-draft preparations.
The 22-year-old Grimes has been busy this summer with offseason workouts, from linking up with 15-year NBA veteran JJ Redick at the Hamptons to participating in the USA Basketball training camp with the U.S. Select Team in Las Vegas and now with Hardaway.
Quentin Grimes working with Penny Hardaway
📸:ig:internationaltking
The Knicks guard is entering a pivotal season as he becomes extension-eligible next summer.
Grimes made a leap to the starting lineup last season, averaging career-highs across the board with 11.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 38.6% from long distance.
Richard Jefferson Believes Knicks Will Land 2 Stars
Former Knicks rival Richard Jefferson believes the once-moribund franchise is long overdue to land the elusive NBA stars.
“I think Joel Embiid and another superstar will end up in New York,” Jefferson boldly claimed on the August 17 episode of the Road Trippin Show.
Jefferson, who now works as a basketball analyst with Yes Network and ESPN, views Jalen Brunson as the key to the Knicks finally becoming an attractive destination for stars.
“No one wanted to come be the savior of the New York Knicks,” Jefferson said. “So now that they have the talent they built within, they’ve got core pieces, they’ve got an all-star point guard in [Jalen] Brunson, and now guys are going to want to play there.”
Ian Eagle Claims Julius Randle Not an Alpha of a Championship Team
For the Knicks to get over the hump, it will require a sacrifice from Julius Randle, according to Yes Network’s top play-by-play anchor Ian Eagle.
“If you’re asking me is he one-A, is he one-B to win a title, probably not. He isn’t,” Eagle said on the August 17 episode of the “Bad Weather Fans” podcast. “If you’re asking me, can you win a championship with Julius Randle as part of your team, I think you can. But it will require him to maybe see the game through a different lens and that’s going to be the challenging part.”
Randle has been the Knicks’ top player, earning two All-Star berths and All-NBA accolades over the past three seasons. The Knicks, according to Eagle, should pivot to building with Brunson, who emerged as their new leader during last season’s playoffs.