Farewell to Don Nelson: The Legendary NBA Coach Has Died; The Basketball World Is in Mourning

American basketball mourns the loss of Don Nelson, the second-most successful head coach in NBA history, a five-time champion as a player, and a Hall of Famer. The family of the legendary coach announced that Nelson, who turned 86 on May 15, passed away peacefully, surrounded by his loved ones.

Nelson coached Milwaukee, Golden State (in two stints), New York, and Dallas over 31 seasons, finishing with 1,335 regular-season wins—a record surpassed only by Gregg Popovich in 2022. He led his teams to the playoffs 18 times during his career. As a player, he also won five NBA titles with the Boston Celtics, who retired his No. 19 jersey in 1978.

Moving straight to the bench after his retirement, Don Nelson became head coach of the Bucks in 1976‑1977. In Milwaukee, he developed the philosophy that would make him famous—“Nellie Ball”—a system based on small lineups, a fast pace, and mismatches created through speed and versatility. An idea that, in fact, would foreshadow the modern NBA. Steve Kerr, current head coach of the Golden State Warriors, recalled him in a statement to the California franchise’s media outlets: “He was a true innovator, capable of seeing possibilities that others didn’t see.”

With the Milwaukee Bucks, Nelson won seven division titles despite never reaching the Finals, thwarted by Boston and Philadelphia, the dominant franchises of that era. With the Warriors, where he served as head coach from 1988 to 1995 and from 2006 to 2010, he laid the groundwork for the style of play that would lead Golden State to dominate the NBA in the 2010s: He was also one of the first to believe in Steph Curry, urging management to select him in the 2009 Draft. He was, moreover, Marco Belinelli’s first NBA coach.

Don Nelson also left a lasting impression in Dallas, contributing to the Texas franchise’s resurgence between 1997 and 2005 and bringing players of the caliber of Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash to wear the Mavs’ jersey. His son Donnie served as his assistant coach at Golden State during his first stint there, as well as in Dallas, and from 2005 through 2021, he was general manager of the Texas franchise. Today, he is the president of Basket Club Roma SPQR, one of the two new basketball clubs in the capital.