Don Nelson, who won the second-most games of any coach in NBA history and five NBA titles as a player with the Boston Celtics, died on Sunday, his family announced. He was 86.
Nelson was a member of NBA championship teams with Boston from 1966 to 1976 and the Celtics retired his jersey number 19.
As a coach, Nelson finished with a record of 1,335-1,063 — what had been an NBA record until Gregg Popovich passed him in 2022 — in stints with Golden State, Milwaukee, New York and Dallas from 1976 to 2010.
“Don Nelson revolutionized NBA basketball through his fearlessness, ingenuity and deep conviction,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
“He spent nearly 50 years in the NBA -– winning five championships as a player with the Boston Celtics before building one of the most successful and pioneering coaching careers in league history.
“He brought an unmistakable personality to everything he did, and his impact on our sport will continue to be felt for generations.”
Nelson, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012, never reached the NBA Finals as a coach but was remembered as a historic figure among bench bosses.
