Beloved NBA Legend Passes Away At 86

NBA legend Don Nelson, a five-time champion and one of the most influential coaches in basketball history, died Sunday at age 86.

Nelson’s family announced that the Hall of Famer died peacefully while surrounded by loved ones.

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

Nelson leaves behind a remarkable basketball legacy that stretched from his championship years with the Boston Celtics to a coaching career that helped reshape the modern NBA.

After becoming an All-American at the University of Iowa, Nelson was selected with the No. 17 overall pick in the 1962 NBA Draft by the Chicago Zephyrs.

He later spent time with the Los Angeles Lakers before finding his permanent home as a player with Boston.

Nelson became a reliable role player for the Celtics and helped the franchise capture championships in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 1976.

He averaged 11.4 points and 5.2 rebounds during his time in Boston.

As impressive as his playing career was, Nelson made an even bigger impact once he moved to the sideline.

He began coaching as an assistant under Larry Costello with the Milwaukee Bucks before quickly taking over the top job.

Nelson spent more than a decade leading Milwaukee, collecting 540 regular-season victories and winning NBA Coach of the Year twice.

He later coached the high-powered “Run TMC” Golden State Warriors, followed by stints with the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.

Nelson returned to Golden State for one of the defining moments of his career, leading the eighth-seeded Warriors past the top-seeded Mavericks in one of the biggest playoff upsets in NBA history.

NBA legend Don Nelson, who won five championships as a player and became the second-winningest coach in league history, has died at 86.

Known for developing the “Nellie Ball” style of play, Nelson was remembered by the Golden State Warriors as “a true basketball visionary.”… pic.twitter.com/eVqCJ9AaJL

— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) August 10, 2026

The victory was particularly memorable because Nelson had previously coached Dallas, while his son, Donnie Nelson, was serving as the Mavericks’ general manager.

Nelson coached his final season in 2009-10, which also happened to be Stephen Curry’s rookie campaign with Golden State.

He retired with 1,335 regular-season victories, making him the winningest coach in NBA history at the time. Gregg Popovich later surpassed that mark.

Nelson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.

Despite never winning an NBA championship as a head coach, Nelson became one of the league’s most important innovators.

His free-flowing offensive philosophy became known as “Nellie Ball” and helped pave the way for the faster, smaller and more perimeter-oriented style that now dominates the league.

Nelson was an early believer in using bigger players as primary ballhandlers, deploying Paul Pressey as a “point forward” in Milwaukee.

His Warriors teams consistently played at a blistering pace, while his Dallas squads embraced 3-point shooting long before it became the league-wide norm.

Nelson also played a major role in the development of future stars Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash.

During his second stint with Golden State, Nelson leaned heavily into small-ball lineups, regularly using forwards such as Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington at center.

That strategy later became commonplace across the NBA and helped lay the groundwork for the Warriors dynasty that followed, with Draymond Green becoming one of the league’s defining small-ball centers.

The Warriors honored Nelson on Sunday as both a franchise icon and a basketball pioneer.

“‘Nellie’ was one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history and an iconic figure in Warriors history,” the team said in a statement on Sunday. “He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was never afraid to challenge conventional thinking. His approach helped shape the game and paved the way for generations of players and coaches who followed.

“More than anything, Don Nelson will be remembered for his authenticity, larger-than-life personality, and incredible passion for basketball, and his influence on the Warriors franchise will endure for years to come. On behalf of the entire Warriors organization, we offer our sincere condolences to his wife, Joy, his family, and countless friends.”

When the NBA selected its 10 greatest coaches in 1996, Nelson was the only coach on the list who had never won a championship as a head coach.

His influence, however, went far beyond rings.

More than a decade after Nelson coached his final game, many of the offensive concepts he helped introduce remain fundamental parts of the modern NBA.

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