Don Nelson, the architect of "Nellie Ball" and one of basketball's most influential minds, died Sunday morning at age 86.
"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," his 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 compiled a 1,335-1,063 regular-season record across 31 seasons as an NBA head coach, retiring as the all-time wins leader before Gregg Popovich surpassed that mark in March 2022. He made 18 playoff appearances and was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1983, 1985, and 1992.
His head coaching career began in Milwaukee, where he took over the Bucks just 15 games into the 1976-77 season after Larry Costello was fired. Over 11 seasons there, he won 540 games, captured seven straight Central Division titles, and missed the playoffs just twice.
Nelson's footprint stretched across the league. He coached the Golden State Warriors in two separate stints, guiding the electric RUN TMC lineup of Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond. At Dallas, he helped orchestrate draft-day moves that landed Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, two players who would define the franchise for a generation.
His recruiting instincts for Nowitzki were no accident. "We hid Dirk for several weeks before the draft," Nelson recalled. "We made a commitment that we were going to draft him. We just wanted to keep him from going anywhere else to work out. He was going to be ours."
During the 2009 NBA draft, Nelson pushed Golden State to take Stephen Curry with the No. 7 pick. Curry credited the decision as career-defining. "One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson," Curry said. "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. He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game."
Before he ever drew up a play, Nelson was a champion. He won five NBA titles as a player with the Boston Celtics, with rings in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, and 1976. The Celtics retired his No. 19 jersey in 1978. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
