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Don Nelson, a Hall of Fame basketball coach who racked up the second-highest number of victories in NBA history and won five championships as a Boston Celtics player, has died at the age of 86, his family announced Sunday.
Nelson died peacefully in Frisco, Texas, surrounded by his family. No cause of death was given.
“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 family said in a statement.
“Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories,” it added.
Known throughout basketball as “Nellie,” Nelson spent nearly five decades in the NBA as a player, coach and general manager.
He played 14 seasons in the league, including 11 with the Celtics, and helped Boston win NBA championships in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, and 1976.
Nelson’s No. 19 jersey was retired by the Celtics, with the number hanging in the rafters at Boston’s TD Garden.
After retiring as a player in 1976, Nelson began a 31-season head-coaching career that included spells with the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks.
He finished with a regular-season coaching record of 1,335 wins and 1,063 defeats. His victory total ranks second in NBA history behind former San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
Nelson led his teams to 18 playoff appearances and eight division championships and was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1983, 1985, and 1992.
He became known as one of basketball’s most influential tactical innovators, popularizing small lineups, fast-paced offense, and the “point forward” position, in which a taller forward takes on playmaking responsibilities traditionally assigned to a guard.
His approach became known as “Nellie Ball” and helped shape the modern NBA’s emphasis on speed, versatility and three-point shooting.
Nelson coached Milwaukee to seven consecutive division titles before taking charge of the Warriors, where his up-tempo offense powered the celebrated “Run TMC” trio of Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin.
During his time in Dallas, he helped build the Mavericks around Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash and guided the team to four consecutive 50-win seasons.
Nelson returned to Golden State in 2006 and led the eighth-seeded “We Believe” Warriors to a historic first-round playoff victory over the 67-win Mavericks in 2007.
He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012 and received the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Nelson “revolutionized NBA basketball through his fearlessness, ingenuity and deep conviction.”
“His impact on our sport will continue to be felt for generations,” Silver added.