Legendary NBA coach Don Nelson says he will protest the Luka Doncic trade while receiving the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award by wearing Doncic’s signature shoes on Sunday in Oklahoma City.
Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
Legendary NBA head coach Don Nelson will receive the prestigious Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award, presented annually by the National Basketball Coaches Association.
Points this season
Dallas Mavericks
NBA
The award will be presented before Game 2 of the NBA Finals between the Thunder and the Pacers in Oklahoma City. NBCA President and Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle will personally deliver the honor.
In a conversation with NBA insider Marc Stein, Nelson revealed a unique gesture he plans to make while accepting the award.
As a protest against the Dallas Mavericks' recent decision to trade Luka Doncic, Nelson said he will wear a pair of Doncic’s signature shoes during the ceremony—a sign of his deep disappointment in the move.
"Luka is my dear friend," Nelson said. "And to protest his being traded from the Mavericks to L.A., I'm going to wear a pair of his new shoes. I wanted to mention that."
"My philosophy was always, when you've got a great player, he's yours for a lifetime. You don't get rid of great players. When that happened, I was pretty disappointed," Nelson revealed.
During his coaching career, Don Nelson served as both head coach and general manager of the Mavericks from 1997 to 2005. His son, Donnie Nelson, took over as GM from 2005 to 2021 and was the architect behind drafting Luka Doncic in 2018.
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