The Golden State Warriors are making sure Don Nelson’s name stays on the floor in a visible way. The team said it will wear a commemorative stripe on its jerseys throughout the 2026-27 season to honor the late coach.
For Dallas, though, the question is still open. Nelson’s connection to the Mavericks runs as deep as anyone’s in franchise history, but the team has not announced how it plans to recognize him during the upcoming season. The Celtics also have not announced anything, even though they retired Nelson the player’s No. 19 jersey.
The Mavericks have a long history of marking important moments and people from their past. In previous seasons, the franchise has used Dirk Nowitzki’s silhouette of his signature fadeaway on the court, placed former players’ names along the out-of-bounds perimeter, and staged retired-jersey celebrations and specialty theme nights.
Last season, Dallas retired Mark Aguirre’s No. 24 jersey. The team also brought back franchise founder Norm Sonju on the night his bobblehead was handed out to fans.
Nelson’s imprint on the Mavericks goes beyond sentiment. He is credited with helping shape one of the franchise’s best eras, including the 1998 draft that brought future Hall of Famers Nowitzki and Steve Nash to Dallas, and the same kind of move in 2018 with Luka Doncic.
At Nelson’s service in Dallas earlier this month, former players and colleagues spoke about him in glowing terms. Gregg Popovich, who was offered the job in San Antonio while working with Nelson in Golden State, told a story that captured Nelson’s influence.
"We all know he’s a wheeler-dealer," said former Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who was offered the job in San Antonio while working with Nelson in Golden State. "I [was offered] a five-year contract that went up $50,000 each year.
So, I told them I got to go see my wife and make a couple calls. Of course, Nellie was the call.
I told him the deal and he said: What are you gonna do?
"I said: I love being at Golden State. But it is a pretty good deal.
He said: You big dummy Popo, you’re going back there and this is how you’re going to do it. You go back and say: add $50,000 to my first year.
And then, $50,000 on top of that every year, so at the end, you’ll be paid $250,000 more. That’ll pay for your house.
So I made the phone call and I was like a 12-year-old. ... I finally spit it out, and in two seconds, they said: OK.
Nellie had told me, they already offered you the job. They’re not going to start over again.
That was very special of him.
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