Five-time NBA champion Don Nelson passed away on Sunday at age 86. The Michigan-born small forward enjoyed a legendary career both as a player and a coach and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Stephen Curry, Luka Dončić Lead Tributes as Don Nelson Tragically Passes Away at 86
Nelson won five NBA titles with the Boston Celtics and had his No. 19 jersey retired by the franchise. After concluding his playing career, Nelson coached the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks, and became the second-winningest coach in NBA history with 1,335 wins.
Many in the NBA world paid tribute to Nelson and sent prayers for his family. Stephen Curry, who was drafted by the Warriors on Nelson’s recommendation, led the tributes.
“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson. From Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court. He taught me a lot during our one season together and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota… He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game,” Curry said in a statement shared by the Warriors.
Statements from an array of Golden State pillars and legends — including Stephen Curry in tribute to his first NBA coach — after the passing of two-time Warriors coach Don Nelson: pic.twitter.com/6qQD2q5GC2
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 9, 2026
Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić also shared his gratitude towards Nelson.
“It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson. I have 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. Thinking of the entire Nelson family today. I loved getting to know you, Coach,” Dončić wrote on X.
It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson.
I have 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.
Thinking of the entire Nelson family today. I… pic.twitter.com/GqIobWNB9i
— Luka Dončić (@lukadoncic) August 9, 2026
“RIP coach Nellie,” shared a basketball influencer featuring Nelson’s clutch Game 7 bucket for the Celtics in the 1969 NBA Finals.
RIP coach Nellie 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Zi9WqJsdQu https://t.co/J97CT00NM5
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) August 9, 2026
The Warriors shared a statement from head coach Steve Kerr, who called him a “true innovator” of basketball.
“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today. He consistently challenged conventional thinking, experimented with different lineups and styles of play, and saw possibilities in the game that others often did not,” Kerr wrote.
Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki wrote that his career would not have turned out the same way without Nelson.
“Nellie… You didn’t just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I’ve said it a million times and I will always say it: I don’t think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me the freedom to play my game. I can only say THANK YOU. For everything. RIP legend,” he wrote.
Nellie… You didn’t just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I’ve said it a million times and I will always say it: I don’t think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me…
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) August 9, 2026
Nelson was drafted into the NBA in 1962 and spent the next five decades in the league in one capacity or another. He played 1,053 regular-season games as a player and 2,398 games as a coach.
