Born in Laredo, Texas, Canales is a graduate of John B. Alexander High School.
[2][7] In 2010, Canales served as the Trail Blazers' head coach during the NBA Summer League.
[4][10] In 2012, Portland hired Terry Stotts as their head coach, but Canales remained with the team as an assistant.
[13] Canales remained with the team after Fizdale was fired in 2019 and worked under interim head coach Mike Miller.
[16] On October 9, 2023, Canales was hired as an associate head coach for the Texas Legends of the NBA G League.