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08/09/26 03:33:00
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08/09 15:31 CDT Don Nelson, second-winningest NBA coach who won 5 titles as a
Celtics player, dies at 86
Don Nelson, second-winningest NBA coach who won 5 titles as a Celtics player,
dies at 86
By JOHN RABY
AP Sports Writer
Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history who won five
championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday. He was 86.
Nelson's family confirmed the death in a statement that did not say where he
died or provide a cause.
"On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather
Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving
family," the statement said. "Throughout his last week, friends and family
encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting
treasured memories."
Nelson is one of two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with
three different franchises --- Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State --- also
serving as general manager for all three franchises. He was a three-time coach
of the year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons. He went to the
conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, never
winning a title.
Nelson introduced what is now known as the point forward, and his up-tempo
style of offense created a buzz. He said the idea of shifting from the dominant
big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break came
from his playing days under Celtics Hall of Fame coach Red Auerbach.
"The league really hadn't seen an offense like the one we were running, and the
results were undeniable," Nelson wrote in 2016 in The Players' Tribune.
Nelson said that "without Red Auerbach teaching me the mechanics of running the
fast break, none of it would have been possible. He deserves all the credit for
Nellie Ball, and for how fast the game of basketball is played today."
Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics
championship teams under four different coaches. He became an assistant coach
in Milwaukee after retiring as a player, then took over after coach Larry
Costello resigned 18 games into the 1976-77 season. Nelson coached the Bucks
for 11 seasons starting in 1976 and won seven straight division titles.
In Nelson's second season, Milwaukee overcame a 29-point fourth quarter deficit
to beat Atlanta 117-115 in regulation.
"I coached the team as though I was still playing for the Celtics, while
implementing a few of my own strategies," Nelson wrote. "I knew I wanted to
play unconventional basketball and use speed to my advantage."
His fast-paced offenses were probably best on display with Golden State in the
"Run TMC" era featuring future Hall of Famers Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and
Chris Mullin. Nelson said he wanted them on the court at the same time.
Nelson spent 11 seasons over two stints with Golden State. The first one was
punctuated by a rift with rookie star Chris Webber, who was traded away a month
into his second season. Nelson, demoralized by the trade, missed nine games
that season due to illness and resigned under pressure three months later in
February 1995.
In between, Nelson was fired after less than one season in New York in 1995-96,
then coached in Dallas for eight seasons, missing 21 games with the Mavericks
starting in December 2000 to recuperate from prostate cancer surgery.
Nelson's son, Donnie, joined his father as an assistant coach with the
Mavericks in 1998, later became general manager and remained with the
organization until 2021. Together they persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk
Nowitzki to pass up European basketball and join the Mavericks. Don Nelson also
developed Steve Nash into one of the NBA's top point guards before Nash went on
to win back-to-back MVPs with the Phoenix Suns in 2005 and 2006.
"Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is
still felt today," current Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "He consistently
challenged conventional thinking, experimented with different lineups and
styles of play and saw possibilities in the game that others often did not. So
much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way
Nellie approached the game."
At Golden State, Nelson's "We Believe" Warriors led by Baron Davis upset
Nowitzki and the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs
in one of the biggest shockers in NBA history. In his final season as a coach,
Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry in 2009-10.
"One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don
Nelson. The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me
and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court," Curry said in a
statement released by the Warriors. "He taught me a lot during our one season
together and I'll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA
history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him. He had an immeasurable impact
on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of
the game."
Davis added: "When I think of Nellie, I'll always think of the ?We Believe'
team and our incredible run in 2007. He understood what made us go and made us
believe we could beat anybody, ultimately helping us make history as the first
No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 seed in a seven-game series. That time in my life
and career was truly special, and Nellie was a huge part of making it possible."
Nelson retired as the NBA's career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead
of Lenny Wilkens' 1,332. Nelson kept that top spot for nearly 12 years before
close friend and now-retired San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich passed him in
March 2022.
Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
In 2025, he received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, presented by
the National Basketball Coaches Association. Miffed that the Mavericks sent
Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers in a blockbuster trade, Nelson wore a
pair of Doncic's signature Jordan Brand sneakers to the awards ceremony. He
called the trade a "tremendous mistake."
Born in Muskegon, Michigan, Nelson attended high school in Rock Island,
Illinois, and averaged a double-double in college at Iowa. He spent his
retirement years living on the Hawaiian island of Maui and owned several
short-term rentals on the island.
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