Don Nelson, NBA's Second-Winningest Coach, Dies at 86

Don Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history with 1,335 regular-season victories, died Sunday in Frisco, Texas, at age 86. His family confirmed he had suffered a stroke approximately three weeks before his death and was in hospice care, surrounded by family at the time of his passing.

Nelson's 31-season coaching career spanned five NBA teams: the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors (two separate stints), New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks. He compiled a postseason record of 75–91 across 18 playoff appearances, making the conference finals three times with Milwaukee and once with Dallas but never winning an NBA championship as a coach. He was a three-time NBA Coach of the Year (1982–83, 1984–85, and 1991–92). Gregg Popovich surpassed Nelson's win total in March 2022, becoming the NBA's all-time winningest coach.

As a player, Nelson won five NBA championships with the Boston Celtics across 11 of his 14 NBA seasons. The Celtics retired his No. 19 jersey in 1978. Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history during the league's 75th anniversary season in 2021–22.

Nelson revolutionized basketball through his fast-paced offensive system, later known as "Nellie Ball," which emphasized speed and smaller, more athletic lineups to create mismatches. He credited Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach with teaching him the fundamentals of fast-break basketball during his playing days. The approach was most prominently showcased during the Golden State Warriors' "Run TMC" era with Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, and Chris Mullin in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Nelson was one of only two coaches in NBA history to achieve at least 250 wins with three different franchises—Milwaukee, Dallas, and Golden State—and served as general manager for all three organizations. With Milwaukee, he won seven consecutive division titles from 1980–86 and compiled 540 wins in 11 seasons. In Dallas, he drafted and developed future Hall of Famers Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash, helping transform the franchise. He also developed Steph Curry during his final season coaching the Warriors in 2009–10, the same year he became the NBA's all-time winningest coach. His son, Donnie, served as his assistant coach in Dallas and later became the team's general manager.