Sports
‘A Coaching Genius’: Dirk, Luka And Kidd Remember Don Nelson
Dallas Express | Aug 10, 2026
Former Dallas Mavericks head coach Don Nelson attends the Dallas International Film Festival in Dallas on April 19, 2012.
Dirk Nowitzki, Luka Dončić, Jason Kidd and Michael Finley led a wave of tributes to Don Nelson after the Hall of Fame coach died Sunday at age 86.
Nelson helped restore the Dallas Mavericks to contention and shape Nowitzki’s early career, as The Dallas Express previously reported. He coached Dallas from 1997 to 2005, won 339 regular-season games and guided the franchise to four consecutive 50-win seasons.
Nowitzki thanks the coach who believed
Nowitzki offered a personal tribute to the coach who encouraged the 7-footer to play on the perimeter and shoot from outside.
“You didn’t just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them,” Nowitzki wrote on X.
Nellie… You didn’t just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I’ve said it a million times and I will always say it: I don’t think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me…
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) August 9, 2026
Nowitzki added that he did not believe his career would have developed the same way without Nelson as his first NBA coach. Nelson coached Nowitzki and Finley during Dallas’ rise, but he did not coach Dončić or Kidd with the Mavericks.
Tributes cross Mavericks generations
Dončić praised Nelson’s support for international players and said he was grateful for the time they spent together.
“It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson,” Dončić wrote on X. He specifically praised “the way he believed in international players.”
It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson.
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.
— Luka Dončić (@lukadoncic) August 9, 2026
Kidd, who played for the Mavericks and later coached the franchise, remembered Nelson as both an innovator and a person who influenced those around him.
“Don Nelson was a great player, a coaching genius and a great person,” Kidd wrote on X. Kidd said those who knew Nelson and experienced his “one-of-a-kind wisdom” would miss him.
We lost one of the legends of the game today. Don Nelson was a great player, a coaching genius and a great person. He will truly be missed by all those who had the pleasure of knowing him and being impacted by his one-of-a-kind wisdom. May he rest in peace. pic.twitter.com/Z9dgroweR1
— Jason Kidd (@RealJasonKidd) August 9, 2026
Finley credits Nelson with changing his life
Finley, a two-time All-Star who played under Nelson during the Mavericks’ turnaround, said the coach gave him confidence when he needed it most.
“His confidence in me at such an important time in my career changed the trajectory of my life,” Finley wrote on Instagram.
Finley called Nelson a basketball genius, an innovator and a competitor. The tributes came from figures tied to several defining eras of Mavericks history and underscored the lasting reach of Nelson’s unconventional approach.
[Don Nelson, Architect Of Mavericks’ Revival, Dies At 86
Don Nelson, Architect Of Mavericks’ Revival, Dies At 86](https://dallasexpress.com/city/mavericks-legend-don-nelson-dies-at-86/)
Don Nelson, Architect Of Mavericks’ Revival, Dies At 86
Don Nelson, Architect Of Mavericks’ Revival, Dies At 86