Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers would like to play with Jalen Duren.
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Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic sent out a heartfelt post in reaction to the passing of legendary coach Don Nelson.
“It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson,” Doncic wrote on X.
“I have so much respect for him and everything he did for the game, especially the way he believed in international players. I’m grateful for the time I spent with him.
“Thinking of the entire Nelson family today. I loved getting to know you, Coach.”
Luka Doncic – Don Nelson Relationship
Although Don Nelson retired from NBA coaching in 2010, long before Luka Doncic entered the league, he laid the groundwork in Dallas for international stars such as Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash and ultimately Doncic. Furthermore, Nelson’s son, Donnie, was the general manager of the Mavericks when the franchise acquired the rights to steal Doncic from the Atlanta Hawks at the 2018 NBA Draft.
In subsequent years, Doncic and Nelson shared a strong personal and professional bond. Notably, Nelson slammed the Mavericks front office for trading Doncic while accepting the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025. The Hall of Famer famously wore Doncic’s signature Jordan Brand sneakers to the event, while calling Dallas’ decision to trade Doncic a“tremendous mistake.”
“As a matter of fact, I want everybody to know I’m wearing Luka’s shoes, his new shoes from Nike that just got on the market,” Nelson had said.
“I’m wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. Tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him, and I want everybody to know that.”