Hall-of-Fame Dallas Mavericks Coach, GM Don Nelson Passes Away

The NBA world was saddened to learn that Don Nelson passed away on Sunday at 86 years old.

The Nelson family released a statement, provided here by NBA insider Marc Stein.

"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. Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

Hall of Famer Don Nelson, three-time NBA Coach of the Year and five times a champion as a player with the Boston Celtics, has died at age 86.

The family has issued this statement:

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson… pic.twitter.com/MkDMNugYcu
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 9, 2026

Nelson was a legendary figure in the NBA, winning five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics from 1963 to 1976, leading the league in field goal percentage in 1975.

He got into coaching immediately after playing and was named the interim head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks early in the 1976-77 season. He revolutionized the game with his unique system, which became known as "Nellie Ball."

Nelson was with Milwaukee until 1988, when he then took over the Golden State Warriors and had the popular Run TMC offense with Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond. He resigned in 1995, took over the New York Knicks for one year, and was let go in 1996 because of contrasting styles of play.

After a year off, Nelson took the head coach and general manager job in 1997 with the then-lowly Dallas Mavericks, who were arguably the worst team in the NBA throughout the 1990s, winning more than 30 games only once in the decade before he joined.

In 1998, Nelson had one of the greatest draft nights of all time, swinging a trade in the top-10 to land mystery German forward Dirk Nowitzki with the Milwaukee Bucks, then traded with the Phoenix Suns for backup Steve Nash.

Don Nelson, the second winningest coach in NBA history, a five-time NBA champion as a player and a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, has died, it was announced Sunday. He was 86.

More: https://t.co/sVHhhoGl3S pic.twitter.com/WBFX6Qr1Et
— ESPN (@espn) August 9, 2026

Nowitzki and Nash had the Mavs in the playoffs by 2001, with Nowitzki becoming one of the greatest players in NBA history, in large part because of Nelson's approach to basketball, allowing the 7-footer to take jumpshots, something that was extremely rare at the time.

Nelson would be with the Mavericks until 2005, when he stepped down after the Mavericks failed to re-sign Nash, something Mark Cuban said is one of his greatest mistakes as an owner.

In 2006, Nelson returned to the Warriors and helped them upset the top-seeded Mavericks and MVP Dirk Nowitzki as the 8th seed. No one knew Nowitzki's play style more than Nelson, and he created a bad matchup for those Mavs.

Nelson was let go in 2010, and that would be the end of his basketball career as a coach, but he was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2012 and is currently the second-winningest coach in NBA history.

In 2025, Nelson was granted the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award. He wore Luka Doncic's shoes to "protest" the trade out of Dallas, which he called a "tremendous mistake."

Don Nelson. Legend. pic.twitter.com/2Fu8UZ2y77
— Jason Gallagher (@jga41agher) June 8, 2025

Mavericks Fans Should Forever Be Grateful for Don Nelson

Don Nelson may not have won a championship in Dallas, but he's a big reason why they eventually did in 2011. Unearthing and developing Dirk Nowitzki is something only he could have done at the time, especially when Nowitzki was very open that he was unsure about playing in the NBA.

Nelson's son, Donnie, was also the general manager of the Mavs from 2005 to 2021.

Without Don Nelson, the Mavericks may have been stuck in the cellar of the NBA for a lot longer. Mark Cuban helped turn things around when he purchased the team in 2000, but without Nelson, there is no Dirk Nowitzki, and without Dirk Nowitzki, there is no Dallas Mavericks basketball.

Nelson should be remembered as one of the greatest innovators in the sport's history, and a lot of the way the game is played today is because of him, with larger players handling the ball and 7-footers being able to shoot.

Nellie was unorthodox, different, and didn't get along with every player. That doesn't change his impact on the NBA's history.

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