NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
Basketball Hall of Famer and former head coach of the New York Knicks, Don Nelson, passed away on Sunday. He was 86 years old.
Former Knicks coach Don Nelson passes away Sunday
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Nelson is a five-time NBA champion as a player and has his No. 19 retired by the Boston Celtics. He went on to become one of the greatest head coaches of all-time, winning three Coach of The Year awards.
Nelson coached the Knicks for 59 games in the 1995-96 season, posting a 34-25 record before he was fired due to fit issues with his style of coaching. He would be replaced by one of his assistants, Jeff Van Gundy, who would coach the Knicks from 1996-2001.
Nelson was an all-time great
Nelson is the second winningest coach in NBA history, amassing 1,335 wins in his coaching career. The only NBA head coach with more wins than Nelson is Gregg Popovich with 1,390 wins.
NBA: Minnesota Timberwolves at Golden State Warriors
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Nelson’s coaching style featured an up-tempo, fast-paced offense that was considered to be ahead of his time. Many coaches in today’s NBA focus on a high-powered offense, including Mike Brown, who just won an NBA championship with the Knicks this past season, snapping the franchise’s 53-year title drought.
Nelson leaves behind a legacy that will be hard for many other coaches to top.