Don Nelson, second-winningest coach in NBA history, dies at 86
Don Nelson, basketball visionary and second-winningest coach in NBA history, has died at 86. He compiled 1,335 wins across 31 seasons.
Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, died Sunday. He was 86. His death was announced by the Golden State Warriors, one of the teams he coached.
Nelson compiled a 1,335-1,063 record during 31 seasons as an NBA head coach. Nelson held the league record for nearly 12 years before Popovich surpassed him in 2022. Beyond his exploits on the sideline, Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012 and captured five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics.
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" 'Nellie' was one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history and an iconic figure in Warriors history,"
Golden State Warriors, via AOL
The Golden State organization further praised his legacy in a public statement reported by Aol.
"He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking,"
Golden State Warriors, via AOL
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. He also helped popularize the point-forward concept, using Milwaukee Bucks forward Paul Pressey to initiate the offense rather than relying exclusively on a traditional point guard.
Nelson coached the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks. 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 (1983, 1985, and 1992) 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.
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. 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 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. Nelson's tenure with the Knicks was brief, from July 1995 until March 1996. After he was fired, he was replaced by assistant coach Jeff Van Gundy.
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. 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.
Nelson played 11 of his 14 seasons in Boston and was on five Celtics championship teams under four different coaches. One of his signature moments came in Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Nelson's late jumper bounced high off the back rim before dropping through, helping Boston secure a 108-106 victory and another championship.
Don Nelson's Coaching Legacy at a Glance
- Total Regular-Season Wins: 1,335 (second all-time behind Gregg Popovich)
- Coach of the Year Awards: Three (1983, 1985, 1992)
- Franchises Coached: Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks
- Hall of Fame Induction: 2012 (as a coach)
- Playing Championships: Five titles with the Boston Celtics
