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. His death was announced by the Golden State Warriors, one of the teams he coached during his illustrious career.
Nelson is one of only two coaches in NBA history to have at least 250 wins with three different franchises—Milwaukee, Dallas, and Golden State—while also serving as the general manager for all three organizations. Throughout his 31-season career, he was a three-time coach of the year and made the playoffs 18 times. He reached the conference finals three times with the Bucks and once with the Mavericks, though he never secured a title as a head coach.
He is credited with introducing the point forward position and an up-tempo style of play that revolutionized the league. Nelson noted that the shift from the dominant big men of the 1970s to an offense focused on speed and the fast break originated 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. He added, “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, winning five championships under four different coaches. After retiring as a player, he transitioned to coaching, becoming an assistant in Milwaukee before taking over as head coach after Larry Costello resigned 18 games into the 1976-77 season. Nelson led the Bucks for 11 seasons, securing seven straight division titles. During his second season, he famously guided Milwaukee to overcome a 29-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Atlanta 117-115. “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 philosophy was perhaps most visible during his first stint with Golden State, highlighted by the “Run TMC” era featuring Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin. However, his tenure was marked 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.
While in Dallas, Nelson’s son, Donnie, joined him as an assistant in 1998, eventually becoming general manager. Together, they persuaded 20-year-old German star Dirk Nowitzki to join the Mavericks. Nelson also developed Steve Nash into one of the NBA’s top point guards before Nash won back-to-back MVPs with Phoenix. Current Warriors coach Steve Kerr praised Nelson as a “true innovator” whose influence remains prevalent in the modern NBA, noting that he consistently challenged conventional thinking and experimented with lineups that others ignored.
At Golden State, Nelson’s “We Believe” Warriors, led by Baron Davis, famously upset the top-seeded Mavericks in the first round of the 2007 playoffs, marking the first time an 8 seed defeated a 1 seed in a seven-game series. In his final season, Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry. “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. “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.”
Nelson retired as the NBA’s career coaching wins leader with 1,335, just ahead of Lenny Wilkens’ 1,332. He held that top spot for nearly 12 years before his close friend, Gregg Popovich, passed him in March 2022. Baron Davis reflected on their time together, stating, “When I think of Nellie, I’ll always think of the ‘We Believe’ team and our incredible run in 2007.” The report also notes that 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. The report also notes that 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. The report also notes that in his final season as a coach, Nelson mentored rookie Stephen Curry in 2009-10. The report also notes that so much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way Nellie approached the game.”. The report also notes that he had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.”. The report also notes that ultimately helping us make history as the first No, he understood what made us go and made us believe we could beat anybody. The report also notes that and Nellie was a huge part of making it possible.”, that time in my life and career was truly special.
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