NBA Coaching Legend Don Nelson Dead At 86

Don Nelson, the coach who reshaped how basketball is played and retired atop the NBA’s career wins list, died Sunday at age 86.

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His family confirmed the death in a statement, according to The Athletic. “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 statement read. The Golden State Warriors announced Nelson’s passing but withheld any details, the Associated Press (AP) reported. The Dallas Morning News reported he had suffered a stroke roughly three weeks earlier.

Nelson closed out 31 seasons on the bench with a 1,335-1,063 record and held the all-time coaching wins mark until San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich edged past him in March 2022, according to the AP. He steered four franchises, reached the playoffs 18 times and won Coach of the Year three times. A title as a head coach eluded him. (RELATED: Former NBA Star Delonte West Arrested After Allegedly Robbing Someone Of $23)

Nelson pioneered the point forward and built fast, undersized lineups that hunted mismatches, an approach traced to his years playing under Celtics coach Red Auerbach, AP reported. Current Warriors coach Steve Kerr credited that thinking for much of today’s game. “Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today,” Kerr said in a statement carried by the AP. “So much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way Nellie approached the game.”

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The championships came earlier, in uniform. Nelson won five titles across 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics, who retired his No. 19 in 1978, according to The Athletic.

Nelson helped Dallas land Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash in draft-night deals, guided the eighth-seeded “We Believe” Warriors past top-seeded Dallas in 2007 and coached a rookie Stephen Curry in his final season. “He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game,” Curry said in a statement released by the Warriors.

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