What Happened to Reggie Chaney? His Cause of Death Revealed

In May 2023, the athlete graduated from UH and was already on his way to achieving great success. Before his death, the Houston Chronicle reported that he was slated to join the AE Psychiko — a professional basketball team in Greece.

Months after Reggie’s untimely passing, his cause of death was attributed to a fentanyl overdose, NBC 5 reported. The source noted that Reggie was found unresponsive by a family friend. After paramedics and police arrived, they pronounced the basketball player dead. Officials told NBC 5 “that [they] did not suspect any foul play in connection with Chaney’s death.”

In Reggie’s final Instagram post, he didn’t allude to anything that might threaten his life. Instead, the recent graduate posted several photos of himself in complete Black boy joy as he celebrated graduating from the University of Houston with his family.

“Yo boy graduated and got his degree…,” Reggie captioned in May 2023.

The details surrounding Reggie’s death initially remained a mystery. So, rather than speculate what led to his demise, Reggie’s fanbase decided to celebrate his life and legacy on social media.

Following the official announcement of his death, many sports fans and those who knew Reggie personally spoke of his contributions to basketball. Several of Reggie’s former coaches, including Kelvin Sampson, the head coach of UH, remembered the athlete as a dependable team player. Kelvin called the athlete his “security blanket” months before he died.

“I’ve always said, ‘Reggie, you’re my security blanket,’” Sampson said of Reggie in March 2023. “Some days when it’s hot, I may not need you, but if there’s a little bit of a chill in the air, it’s good to know I’ve got that blanket there.”

Many of Reggie’s former teammates and UH classmates also paid their respects to him via Twitter. One of his friends and fellow basketball player Mason Jones wrote a message that alluded to Reggie having some personal struggles as he asked those mourning Reggie to give him “his flowers.”

“Pls give Reggie his flowers,” Mason shared on Twitter. “If only y’all knew what he was really going through .. just a kid from Tulsa .. going to miss you brotha fr .. real life brotha, roommate, and one of the realest guys you will ever meet!”

Reggie’s girlfriend, Shanalie Aaliyah, also took to social media to remember his impact on her life. Hours after his death, Shanalie posted several Instagram stories on her account.