The NBA lost one of its most accomplished sideline figures on Sunday, when Don Nelson died at 86, his family announced.
Nelson’s résumé still jumps off the page: 31 seasons as an NBA head coach, 13 50-win teams, and a place near the top of the league’s all-time wins list. He finished his coaching career with 1,335 victories, second only to Gregg Popovich’s 1,390. Lenny Wilkens sits third at 1,332, followed by Jerry Sloan at 1,221, Pat Riley at 1,210, Doc Rivers at 1,194, George Karl at 1,175, Phil Jackson at 1,155, Larry Brown at 1,098 and Rick Adelman at 1,042.
His family said Nelson died Sunday morning and shared a statement that described his final days this way: "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 blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories."
The family did not announce a cause of death. The Dallas Morning News reported that Nelson suffered a stroke three weeks earlier and had been placed in hospice care. Earlier in 2026, he moved from Hawaii to Frisco, Texas.
Nelson’s coaching path stretched across some of the league’s most recognizable franchises. He spent 11 seasons with the Bucks, another 11 with the Warriors across two separate stints, eight years with the Mavericks and one season with the Knicks in the 1990s.
He retired in 2010 after that second run with Golden State, a stretch highlighted by the historic first-round upset of the top-seeded Mavericks. Before that, he had guided Dallas to a 60-win season in 2002-03 and helped shape some of the most successful eras in Bucks and Warriors history before those teams’ later surges.
He never reached the NBA Finals as a head coach, but Nelson’s influence ran deep. He also won five championships as a player with the Celtics in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and he was a three-time NBA Coach of the Year.
Tributes came quickly from across the league. The Warriors called Nelson "one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history."
Warriors coach Steve Kerr called Nelson a "true innovator."
Stephen Curry, who was coached by Nelson as a rookie, said in his statement: “One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson. The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court. He taught me…”
Luka Doncic called the news "a sad day for basketball" and said he had "so much respect for him and everything he did for the game, especially the way he believed in international players. I’m grateful for the time I spent with him."
The Knicks also honored Nelson, who spent one season as their head coach.
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