Don Nelson, 5-time NBA champion and pioneer of ‘Nellie Ball’ as coach, dies at 86

Don Nelson, a five-time NBA champion with the Boston Celtics as a player and one of the winningest coaches in league history, died Sunday at 86, his family announced in a statement. A cause of death was not shared.

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

The pioneer of “Nellie Ball,” Nelson, who began his coaching career as an assistant in 1976 with the Milwaukee Bucks, is credited with using fast-paced offense and smaller, more athletic players to seek mismatches and outrun opponents on the court, which is an approach many teams adopt today. His success led to his being named to the NBA’s list of the top 10 (1996) and top 15 (2021) coaches of all time.

On April 7, 2010, with his 1,333rd victory on the sidelines, Nelson passed Lenny Wilkens to set the NBA record for most regular-season coaching wins before finishing his career with a record of 1,335-1,063 (.556 win percentage). Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012. His 1,335 career regular-season wins trail only Gregg Popovich (1,390) for the league record.

Nelson served as head coach for four franchises during a 31-season NBA coaching career. That included 11 seasons apiece with the Milwaukee Bucks (540-344) and Golden State Warriors (422-443), as well as eight seasons with the Dallas Mavericks (339-251) and one ill-fated campaign with the New York Knicks in 1995-96 that saw him fired with a 34-25 record and replaced by Jeff Van Gundy.

Nelson spent eight years as the Mavericks coach. In 1998, he was instrumental in the franchise acquiring Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash in separate draft-night trades, moves that set the stage for Dallas to become one of the NBA’s highest-scoring and most exciting teams of the early 2000s. The Mavericks reached the Western Conference finals in 2003. Nelson left Dallas two years later with a 339-251 record as the Mavericks coach.

While none of the teams he coached won an NBA title, Nelson had 18 playoff appearances and a 75-91 career postseason record.

“‘Nellie’ left an indelible mark on our franchise with his approach to the game,” a statement from the Warriors read. “From the Run RMC era to the ‘We Believe’ team in 2007, his teams captivated Bay Area basketball fans and created some of the most memorable moments in Warriors history.”

The Golden State Warriors mourn the passing of Hall of Fame head coach Don Nelson.

“Nellie” was one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history and an iconic figure in Warriors history. He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was… pic.twitter.com/1k5piSC6xX

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 9, 2026

Nelson did experience championship glory in his 14-season NBA playing career, helping the Celtics hang five banners over an 11-year stint. Nelson averaged 11.1 points on 50 percent shooting and 4.8 rebounds in 134 career playoff games for the Celtics. He’s among 26 players to win at least five NBA championships — 11 of those players did so with Boston — and Nelson’s No. 19 jersey was retired by the franchise in 1978.

By 1965, the Celtics signed Nelson as a free agent, and his game and role grew in Boston. During his first season under new coach Red Auerbach, Nelson posted averages of 10.2 points and 5.4 rebounds to help the Celtics win the 1965-66 championship. He contributed as a sixth man for a roster that included Boston legends Bill Russell, Sam Jones, John Havlicek, Satch Sanders and KC Jones. During the 1967-68 season, he was one of seven Celtics to average double-figure points, which at the time tied an NBA single-season record. The 2023-24 Hawks (eight) are the only team to have more such players. In nine seasons as a Celtic, Nelson averaged at least 10 points nine times.

In Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals, Nelson had perhaps the most memorable moments of his storied basketball career. With just over a minute left in the matchup, he made a foul-line jumper that initially hit the back rim and bounced multiple feet into the air before falling to give Boston a 103-102 lead en route to a 108-106 win over the rival Los Angeles Lakers. The shot helped notch the Celtics’ 11th championship in 13 seasons as Russell’s legendary career, which included two final seasons as player-coach, drew to a close.

The Basketball 100

The story of the greatest players in NBA history. In 100 riveting profiles, top basketball writers justify their selections and uncover the history of the NBA in the process.

The story of the greatest players in NBA history.

Buy

Nelson was born on May 15, 1940, in Muskegon, Mich., to Arvid and Agnes Nelson, who raised him and two sisters on his grandfather’s farm close to Sherrard, Ill. That farm is where he first learned to shoot. Nelson’s early lessons came in a chicken yard by using a spokeless bicycle wheel nailed to the shed in an effort to simulate a basket.

Nelson’s family eventually lost the farm and moved to nearby Rock Island, Ill., where Nelson attended middle school and fell in love with basketball. Instead of shooting baskets at an empty wheel, he started shooting shots when walking to school from downtown’s 19th Street, sometimes visiting a YMCA after practice to log more work.

In 1958, Nelson graduated from Rock Island High School, which went 47-7 in his final two seasons on the team. As a junior, he averaged 12.6 points before increasing his scoring to 20.2 points per game as a senior. Because Nelson wasn’t heavily recruited, his father questioned his future in basketball, preferring he become a repairman, but Iowa Hawkeyes coach Sharm Scheuerman, a 1952 Rock Island graduate, recruited Nelson to Iowa.

Freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity when Nelson arrived at Iowa, but he immediately broke out as a sophomore with averages of 15.8 points and 10 rebounds for a Hawkeyes team that finished 14-10. Nelson’s role grew even more after fellow future Hall of Famer Connie Hawkins was linked to a basketball betting scandal and left the school, with Nelson averaging a double-double in points (23.8) and rebounds (11.3) over his final two seasons. His career scoring average of 21.1 points remains the highest in school history.

This story will be updated.