Basketball has lost one of the thinkers who helped create the modern NBA.
Hall of Fame coach and five-time NBA champion Don Nelson has died aged 86, with his family confirming he passed away peacefully on Sunday surrounded by loved ones.
Nelson’s death was subsequently announced by the Golden State Warriors, where he spent 11 seasons across two separate coaching stints.
The cause of death was not immediately disclosed.
“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,” Nelson’s family said in a statement.
The news was also reported by NBC News.
Nelson leaves an enormous NBA legacy
Nelson finished his coaching career with 1,335 regular-season victories, the second-most in NBA history behind Gregg Popovich.
He held the league record for almost 12 years before Popovich overtook Nelson as the NBA’s winningest coach in March 2022.
Across 31 seasons, Nelson compiled a 1,335-1,063 record and guided his teams to the playoffs 18 times. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks.
Nelson remains one of only two coaches to win at least 250 games with three different franchises, achieving the milestone with Milwaukee, Golden State and Dallas.
He was named NBA Coach of the Year three times, receiving the award in 1983, 1985 and 1992.
Despite his extraordinary regular-season success, Nelson never coached a team in the NBA Finals. He reached the conference finals three times with Milwaukee and once with Dallas.
‘One of the most innovative and influential coaches’
Nelson’s importance extended well beyond his win-loss record.
The Warriors described him as “one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history” and an iconic figure within the franchise.
“He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently,” the organisation said.
Known throughout basketball as “Nellie”, Nelson embraced smaller line-ups, speed, floor spacing and players capable of filling several positions long before those concepts became standard across the league.
His offensive philosophy became known as “Nellie Ball”.
Nelson was also credited with helping popularise the point-forward position. Rather than relying exclusively on a traditional guard to initiate the offence, he empowered bigger, versatile players to handle the ball and create opportunities.
“The league really hadn’t seen an offence like the one we were running, and the results were undeniable,” Nelson wrote in 2016.
Current Warriors coach Steve Kerr said much of the modern NBA could be traced back to Nelson’s willingness to challenge conventional thinking.
“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today,” Kerr said.
“He consistently challenged conventional thinking, experimented with different line-ups and styles of play and saw possibilities in the game that others often did not.”
Run TMC and the ‘We Believe’ Warriors
Nelson’s first Golden State tenure produced the famous “Run TMC” combination of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond and Chris Mullin.
The trio became one of the league’s most entertaining groups, thriving within Nelson’s fast-paced offensive system.
Nelson returned to Golden State in 2006 and oversaw one of the greatest upsets in NBA playoff history.
His eighth-seeded “We Believe” Warriors defeated the 67-win Dallas Mavericks in the opening round of the 2007 playoffs, becoming the first eighth seed to defeat a top seed in a seven-game series.
The victory carried additional significance because Nelson had previously coached Dallas and knew many of the Mavericks’ strengths and weaknesses.
He later coached Stephen Curry during the future superstar’s rookie season in 2009-10.
“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson,” Curry said.
“From Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court.”
Five championships with Boston
Before becoming a pioneering coach, Nelson enjoyed a successful 14-season playing career.
He spent 11 seasons with the Boston Celtics and won five NBA championships, contributing to title-winning teams in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 1976.
Nelson played alongside Boston legends including Bill Russell, John Havlicek and Sam Jones.
His famous high-bouncing jump shot late in Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals helped Boston defeat the Los Angeles Lakers. That Celtics championship remains one of the defining moments of the 1969 playoffs.
Nelson transitioned into coaching after retiring as a player in 1976, initially joining Milwaukee as an assistant before taking over as head coach during the 1976-77 season.
He guided the Bucks to seven consecutive division titles and eventually became one of the league’s most influential executives as well as coaches.
Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
His legacy can be found in virtually every modern NBA offence—but it also lives through the countless players he trusted to play without fear.
