Don Nelson, NBA Coach And Five-Time Champion, Dies At 86

Don Nelson, the Hall of Fame coach who spent more than three decades on NBA sidelines and helped revolutionize the way basketball was played, has died. He was 86.

Nelson’s family announced Sunday that he died peacefully surrounded by loved ones.

“Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories,” the family said in a statement.

Nelson finished his 31-year coaching career with 1,335 regular-season victories, a record that stood until Gregg Popovich surpassed him in 2022. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors, winning NBA Coach of the Year three times.

But Nelson’s influence went well beyond his win total.

His unconventional “Nellie Ball” philosophy emphasized smaller, faster lineups, relentless pace and exploiting mismatches—ideas that eventually became staples of the modern NBA. His Warriors teams in the early 1990s famously featured the undersized backcourt of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin, better known as “Run TMC.”

“Nellie was ahead of his time and there was nobody else like him,” Hardaway said Sunday.

Nelson’s fingerprints can also be found on some of the NBA’s most important franchises. As Dallas’ coach and general manager, he helped acquire future Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash. During his second stint with Golden State, he pushed the franchise to select Stephen Curry with the seventh pick in the 2009 NBA draft.

“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson,” Curry said. “He had an immeasurable impact on the sport.”

Before becoming one of basketball’s most influential coaches, Nelson was a champion himself. He spent 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics, winning five championships. Boston retired his No. 19 jersey in 1978.

Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.

He never won an NBA championship as a coach, but his influence on the game may ultimately prove more enduring than another ring.

“Don Nelson revolutionized NBA basketball through his fearlessness, ingenuity and deep conviction,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said.

After retiring from coaching, Nelson settled on a 22-acre farm in Maui, where he grew flowers, coffee and cannabis. Following the devastating 2023 Maui wildfires, he opened his rental properties to families who had lost their homes.

For a man who spent nearly 50 years in professional basketball, Nelson’s legacy was never simply about victories. He changed the game—and left it looking a lot more like the basketball being played today.

See social media’s reaction to Nelson’s passing below.