Don Nelson, the Iowa Hawkeyes standout who became the NBA’s winningest coach and helped shape the modern game with his free-flowing style, died Sunday, Aug. 9. He was 86.
His family announced the death in a statement and did not give a cause.
"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," the statement read. "Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessings of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories."
Nelson’s path started at Rock Island (Illinois) High School and then Iowa, where he played from 1959 through 1962. In 72 games over three seasons, he averaged 21.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game and left as the program’s career scoring leader.
Long before he was drawing up lineups and matchups as a coach, Nelson was a 6-foot-6 forward who went 19th overall to the Chicago Zephyrs in 1962. His NBA playing career began with two seasons in Los Angeles, where he was eventually cut loose, then continued in Boston, where the Celtics kept him for 11 years. He won titles with the Celtics in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 1976, played 465 games in a row, averaged 10.3 points for his career and had his No. 19 retired by Boston.
The coaching résumé that followed was as bold as it was long. Nelson led the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks, finishing with a 1,335-1063 record.
He broke Lenny Wilkens’ career wins mark on April 7, 2010, and held it until Gregg Popovich passed him in 2022. Nelson was named Coach of the Year three times, in 1983, 1985 and 1992, guided teams to the playoffs 18 times and collected eight division titles.
He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012.
He never reached the NBA Finals as a coach.
Nelson also coached Dream Team II to gold at the 1994 world championships, and the NBA recognized his place in league history by naming him one of its 10 greatest coaches in 1996 and including him on its top-15 list in 2021.
His reputation was tied to "Nellie Ball," the up-tempo, mismatch-hunting approach built around smaller lineups, wider spacing and more 3-pointers than most teams were willing to attempt. That style helped unlock some of the game’s most memorable offensive groups, including RUN TMC with Golden State’s Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin and Mitch Richmond. In Dallas, he turned a skinny, 20-year-old Dirk Nowitzki loose on the league, and Steve Nash ran Nelson’s offense for six seasons before leaving for Phoenix.
Nelson was inducted into the Des Moines Register Iowa Sports Hall of Fame in 1983.
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