NBA coaching legend Don Nelson, second-winningest coach in league history, dies at 86
Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history and a five-time champion as a player with the Boston Celtics, died Sunday at 86. His family confirmed the death .
Nelson amassed 1,335 regular-season victories as a head coach, a total surpassed only by Gregg Popovich’s 1,390. He led the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors over a coaching career spanning 1976 to 2010 . He was named NBA Coach of the Year three times, in 1983, 1985 and 1992 .
As a player, Nelson won five NBA titles with the Celtics in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 1976. The franchise retired his No. 19 jersey in 1978 . He later coached the U.S. national team to gold at the 1994 FIBA World Championship in Toronto, leading the squad known as Dream Team II .
Nelson was known for pioneering a fast-paced, small-lineup style that emphasized three-point shooting. His Warriors teams of the early 1990s, featuring players like Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Chris Mullin and Sarunas Marciulionis, became renowned for their offensive innovation . Golden State called him “one of the most innovative coaches” and “a true visionary” in a statement, adding that his approach “paved the way for coaches and players who followed” .
Dirk Nowitzki, whom Nelson coached with the Mavericks from 1997 to 2005, credited him with shaping his career. “Coach Nellie was perfect for me. He wanted his big players to shoot and spread the floor,” Nowitzki said. In a post on X, Nowitzki wrote, “You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I even realized I was capable of them. I don’t think my career would have gone the way it did if you hadn’t been my first coach and given me the freedom to play my game. I can only say THANK YOU” .
A memorial service is planned for Thursday in Dallas. A burial date on Hawaii has not been set .
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Don Nelson ist TOT: Nowitzki trauert um seinen ersten NBA-Trainer Don Nelson war Trainer der Dallas Mavericks, als Dirk Nowitzki in die NBA wechselte. Der Deutsche bezeichnet ihn als „perfekt für mich. Nun ist der frühere Basketball-Trainer gestorben.
faz · about 2 hours ago
Don Nelson, légende de la NBA et des Boston Celtics, est mort à lâge de 86 ans Considéré comme lun des entraîneurs les plus influents de la NBA, ce technicien a contribué à populariser un jeu plus rapide et offensif. Il a également participé à lascension de futurs MVP, comme Dirk Nowitzki et Stephen Curry.
le monde · about 2 hours ago
Muere a los 86 años Don Nelson, cinco veces campeón de la NBA Cerró su trayectoria con un balance de 1.335 victorias en el banquillo solo superado por Gregg Popovich, con 1.390. Leer
elmundo · about 2 hours ago
86-aastaselt suri NBA üks nimekamaid treenereid Don Nelson Korvpalli Kuulsuste Halli kuulunud legendaarne peatreener Donald Arvid Nelson, üldtuntud kui Don Nelson, suri 86-aastaselt.
postimees · about 3 hours ago
Umrl legendarni Don Nelson V starosti 86 let je umrl nekdanji odlični košarkar in trener Don Nelson. Preden je postal trener, je z Bostonom petkrat postal prvak v Ligi NBA. Spominska slovesnost bo v četrtek v Dallasu, pogreb pa bo na Havajih, kjer je živel zadnja leta.
rtv slovenia · about 4 hours ago
Ντον Νέλσον: Πέθανε στα 86 του ο πρωταθλητής NBA και μετέπειτα επιτυχημένος προπονητής, βίντεο Ο Ντον Νέλσον είχε κερδίσει 5 πρωταθλήματα με τους Μπόστον Σέλτικ ως παίκτης ενώ ως προπονητής είχε κερδίσει 3 φορές τον τίτλο Coach of the Year
protothema · about 5 hours ago
Don Nelson, the second-winnigest head coach in NBA history, dies aged 86 The legendary coach and former player, credited for introducing the Nellie ball, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012 for – at the time – holding the most wins as a head coach in NBA history.
euronews · about 6 hours ago
NBA-speler en succestrainer Nelson (86) overleden NEW YORK (ANP/AFP) - Voormalig basketballer en NBA-coach Don Nelson is op 86-jarige leeftijd overleden. De familie van de basketballer, die tussen 1966 en 1976 vijf keer kampioen werd met Boston Celtics, heeft dat zondag bekendgemaakt.
rtl nieuws · about 9 hours ago
Don Nelson, second-winningest NBA coach who won 5 titles as a Celtics player, dies at 86 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. Nelsons family confirmed the…
japantoday · about 10 hours ago
Basketball: Nowitzkis erster NBA-Trainer: Don Nelson ist tot Er kam einst nach Würzburg, um Dirk Nowitzki von einem Wechsel in die USA zu überzeugen - und prägte dann dessen Karriere. Nun ist Basketball-Ikone Don Nelson gestorben.
tagesspiegel · about 11 hours ago
Fallece el mítico entrenador de la NBA Don Nelson, un adelantado a su tiempo Fue tres veces entrenador del año y campeón del mundo, además de ser uno de los técnicos más influyentes
la vanguardia · about 12 hours ago