Don Nelson, the Hall of Fame basketball figure who won five NBA titles as a player and later became a three-time NBA Coach of the Year, has died at 86, his family announced.
“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 family said in a statement. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”
Nelson built the first chapter of his NBA legacy on the court, spending 11 of his 14 playing seasons with the Boston Celtics and helping the franchise capture five championships before moving into coaching after retirement.
He most recently coached the Golden State Warriors in 2010, stepping away from the bench as the winningest coach in NBA history. Across a coaching career that stretched three decades, Nelson led four franchises: the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Warriors.
Beyond coaching, Nelson also worked as general manager for three of those organizations and remains one of only two coaches in league history to record at least 250 victories with three different teams.
Dallas Mavericks governor Patrick Dumont credited Nelson with reshaping the Mavericks organization and helping establish “a winning culture” in Dallas.
“Don Nelson was a true original whose impact on the Dallas Mavericks and the game of basketball will endure for generations … His influence can be seen throughout Mavericks history and across the NBA today,” Dumont said.
Known as one of basketball’s great innovators, Nelson helped popularize the role now called the point forward and energized the NBA with a faster, free-flowing offensive style. He later said the roots of that philosophy traced back to his years playing for Celtics legend Red Auerbach, when he began imagining a game that moved away from the big-man dominance of the 1970s and toward pace, spacing and the fast break.
“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 was best known for his stint in Oakland, where he drafted Stephen Curry and was credited with helping build the Warriors’ ascent.
“‘Nellie’ was one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history and an iconic figure in Warriors history. He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking,” the Warriors said in a statement posted to social media.
Nelson will be remembered for his authenticity, personality and passion for basketball, the organization said.
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In a statement, Curry said, “The story is [Nelson] never liked rookies, but from Day 1, he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court … He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game.”
“Don Nelson revolutionized NBA basketball through his fearlessness, ingenuity and deep conviction,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “He brought an unmistakable personality to everything he did, and his impact on our sport will continue to be felt for generations.”
In 2000, Nelson revealed a prostate cancer diagnosis and later said he had his cancerous prostate removed, with doctors having found no sign that the disease had spread.
Nelson’s cause of death wasn’t revealed. He is survived by his children and his wife, Joy.
Kiki Intarasuwan
contributed to this report.
