Former NBA coach Don Nelson, who ranks second in league history with 1,335 career victories, died Aug. 9. Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, one of Nelson's former players, paid tribute to him on social media that day. "Thank you, coach, for giving me the chance to play from Day 1 and find my own path."Curry is widely regarded as the greatest shooter in NBA history. He holds the league's career record with 4,248 3-pointers and has won four NBA championships. That remarkable career may never have unfolded without Nelson's bold decision 17 years ago, when he was coaching Golden State.Curry was a prolific scorer in college, but his shortcomings were hard to ignore, leaving his NBA prospects uncertain. Scouting reports from U.S. media outlets ahead of the 2009 NBA draft praised his shooting but repeatedly questioned his defense, 188-centimeter height and athleticism.Six teams with higher picks passed on Curry. Nelson, who favored an offense-oriented style, chose to focus on Curry's elite shooting rather than the weaknesses that concerned other teams. He persuaded the Warriors to select Curry with the seventh overall pick.After Curry joined Golden State, the coaching staff sent him to the weight room, believing he needed more strength to withstand the physical demands of NBA defense. Nelson heard about the workouts and headed straight to the weight room. He told the coaches, "You're ruining Curry's shooting form. Don't make him lift too much."Nelson gave Curry the freedom to shoot 3-pointers without hesitation. When Curry made mistakes, Nelson did not pull him from the game or berate him. He encouraged Curry to stay on the floor and play his game. As a rookie in the 2009-10 regular season, Curry played 80 games and averaged 17.5 points and 5.9 assists. He also made 166 3-pointers, an NBA rookie record at the time.Curry continued to shoot with confidence after Nelson left the Warriors. While most players had to work for their points inside the arc, Curry could stretch the floor with long-range 3-pointers that seemed almost routine for him. As Golden State rose to the top of the NBA behind Curry's shooting, the league underwent a 3-point revolution. Even centers are now expected to shoot from beyond the arc. NBA teams averaged 18.1 3-point attempts per game in the 2009-10 season, compared with 37 in 2025-26.If Nelson had focused on Curry's physical limitations and kept him on the bench, Curry might have been reduced to a one-dimensional player known only for his shooting. Instead, Nelson's trust gave Curry the freedom to grow into a franchise star. Curry spent his offseasons working with personal trainers to improve his defense and ballhandling. By the 2014-15 season, when he won his first NBA championship, he had also become one of the league's better defenders by several statistical measures.Nelson did not try to turn Curry into a different kind of player. He gave him the freedom to build his game around his greatest strength, and Curry responded by helping deliver championships and becoming an NBA icon. Curry's story began with a coach willing to trust what made him special and continued with a player who took responsibility for developing the rest of his game.
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