Basketball fans often wonder if Chaz Lanier, a standout at the Tennessee, has any connection to NBA great Bob Lanier due to their shared last name. While the two are not related, Chaz has made headlines on his own.
After transferring to Tennessee in May 2024, he quickly became the team’s top scorer. In his debut game against Gardner-Webb, Lanier impressed with an 18-point performance.
Chaz Lanier and Bob Lanier: Is There a Family Connection Between the Two?
Chaz Lanier, born Dec. 19, 2001, in Nashville, Tennessee, is a standout guard for the Tennessee Volunteers. He began his college career at the University of North Florida, where he played from 2020 to 2024.
During his senior season, Lanier averaged 19.7 points per game and earned ASUN First Team All-Conference and NABC First Team All-District honors (UNF Athletics).
A product of The Ensworth School, he was a Tennessee Mr. Basketball finalist and received First-Team All-Conference recognition. His parents, Thomas and Stacey Lanier, both played college basketball—his father at Lipscomb and his mother at Alcorn State.
Bob Lanier, born Sept. 25, 1948, in Buffalo, New York, left a lasting legacy in the NBA. The Hall of Fame center was an eight-time All-Star, the 1974 All-Star Game MVP, and averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds over a 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1992 and later served as an NBA global ambassador and spokesperson for the “Stay In School” program. At St. Bonaventure, he averaged 27.6 points and 15.7 rebounds, earning First-Team All-American honors.
Though both men excelled in basketball and share a surname, there is no confirmed relation between Chaz and Bob Lanier. Chaz’s family includes his parents and brother, Trey, with no overlap into Bob’s lineage, which includes children Walter “Jack,” Kimberly, Tiffany, Robert III, and Khalia.
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Furthermore, Rob Lanier, Bob’s cousin and current head coach at Rice University, also has no documented link to Chaz. Despite speculation, no reliable sources connect the two families. Chaz’s roots are in Nashville, while Bob’s are in Buffalo, underscoring separate backgrounds despite shared success in the sport.
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