The basketball world lost a giant. The great Don Nelson died on Sunday at the age of 86 after suffering a stroke three weeks ago.
Nelson was drafted by the Chicago Zephyrs in 1962. A year later he headed to Los Angeles to join the Lakers and the Zephyrs moved to Baltimore to become the Bullets (modern-day Washington Wizards). He played fourteen seasons in the NBA including eleven season with the Boston Celtics. In his time with the Lakers and Celtics, Nelson accumulated five championship rings. His number 19 was retired by the Celtics.
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Immediately upon retirement, Nelson moved to Milwaukee to serve as an assistant coach with the Bucks. After a 3-15 start to the 1976 -77 seasons, head coach Larry Costello resigned and Nelson began a head coaching career spanning thirty-one seasons over thirty-three years. He is the second winningest coach in NBA history behind Gregg Popovich and coached coached the second most games behind Lenny Wilkens.
Nelson was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1983, 1985, qne 1992 and served as head coach in the All-Star Game in 1992 and 2002. He is credited with the creating the “Hack-A-Shaq” during his time with the Dallas Mavericks.
NBA Chairman Adam Siver released this statement:
Nelson will be remembered for his accolades both as a player and as a coach. His name will come up again and again for years to come in discussions of the greats for his stellar record, his longevity, and his inspiration.
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