Don Nelson died peacefully Sunday morning August 9 surrounded by his family. He was 86. The Golden State Warriors announced his passing.
"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. No cause was given.
Nelson finished his 31-season coaching career with a 1,335-1,063 regular-season record, the second-most wins in NBA history behind Gregg Popovich, who passed him in 2022.
Before coaching he was a player for 14 seasons and won five NBA titles with the Boston Celtics, whose retired his No. 19 in 1978. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
He changed the game twice, as a player and then as a coach. Nellie Ball prioritized pace, spacing and unconventional lineups decades before positionless basketball became the league's dominant approach.
He pioneered the point forward concept. He won 250-plus games with three different franchises, Milwaukee, Dallas and Golden State, serving as GM of all three. He never won a title as a coach. He never stopped trying.
His final great decision: pushing Golden State to draft Stephen Curry seventh overall in 2009 when the consensus wanted someone else. "One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson," Curry said Sunday.
Dirk Nowitzki wrote: "Nellie, you didn't just draft me. You believed in me." Luka Doncic, whose Dallas lineage traces through Nelson, also paid tribute.
He was 86 years old and one of the great basketball minds the game has known.