Milwaukee Bucks front office should tread lightly with all these Giannis Antetokounmpo trade talks or else, they will get an earful from their former head coach Don Nelson.
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Sidney Moncrief received the game ball after scoring his 10,000th point.
Sidney Moncrief was drafted by the Bucks and spent 10 seasons in Milwaukee. He is shown receiving the game ball from Bucks coach Don Nelson after scoring his 10,000th point in 1987.
1987 Press Photo Milwaukee Bucks Sidney Moncrief Receiving The Game Ball
The 85-year-old NBA great was feted with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in Game 2 of the NBA finals between the OKC Thunder and the Indiana Pacers for his contribution in the NBA. He has not been involved with any NBA teams since 2011 but his career is a slam dunk Hall of Fame which he is already a part of.
He played in the league for 14 years starting in 1962 and then immediately went on to coaching by becoming an assistant for the Bucks in 1976. He then took the main coaching role in the same year and lead the team to seven divisional championships before moving on to the Golden State Warriors.
Nelson won two Coach of the Year Award while with the Bucks and then one another one with the Warriors.
In his speech while accepting the award, he honored Daly who he said is a genius.
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Jun 8, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; former general manager Don Nelson speaks to the media before game two between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Indiana Pacers in the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
“I’m glad I had the opportunity to coach against him, learn from him, and benefit from his knowledge. To say that I’m deeply touched to receive an award that bears his name would be an understatement. This is special.”
Don Nelson’s rant about Mavs grabs headline
Nelson has not been involved with any NBA teams for a long while but he is sure updated.
He does not like it that the Dallas Mavericks, another team he coached, decided to trade away Luka Doncic mid-season saying it is against his philosophy to forsake a great player.
He even wore a pair of Luka Doncic shoes while accepting the award. He said that his view of him was something he developed while playing for Boston Celtics legend and Hall of Famer coach Red Auerbach.
Don Nelson:
“I’m wearing Luka’s new shoes from Nike and I’m wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him” pic.twitter.com/i1O9EywG1w
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) June 8, 2025
“His philosophy was when you have a great player — Bill Russell, Havlicek, Sam Jones, you name ’em — you don’t lose that player,” Nelson said.
“You keep him for a lifetime. You put his number up, and you honor that player. That’s been my philosophy.”
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Feb 12, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; NBA All-Star participants Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0), guard Malik Beasley (5), and forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) pose for a picture with general manager Jon Horst (far left) and team president Peter Feigin (far right) before a game against the Denver Nuggets at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
The Bucks and general manager Jon Horst are in a situation right now wherein they are being bombarded with offers for Giannis Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP and their own superstar.
In case they trade him, Nelson might have something to say.
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