Don Nelson, the second-winnigest head coach in NBA history, dies aged 86
The legendary coach and former player, credited for introducing the “Nellie ball”, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012 for – at the time – holding the most wins as a head coach in NBA history.
Don Nelson, the second-winningest head coach in NBA history, has died aged 86. He was a five-time NBA champion as a player with the Boston Celtics, and his jersey number 19 was retired by the team. Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012.
As a coach, Nelson had a record of 1,335-1,063 with stints at Golden State, Milwaukee, New York, and Dallas from 1976 to 2010, according to Yahoo Sports. He was a three-time coach of the year and made the playoffs 18 times in 31 seasons, as per Associated Press. Nelson introduced the "Nellie ball" style of play, which focused on speed and the fast break.
The Golden State Warriors, one of the teams Nelson coached, released a statement mourning his passing, describing him as a "true basketball visionary" who "helped shape the game and paved the way for generations of players and coaches who followed."
Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, Yahoo Sports, Associated Press, Winnipeg Free Press — 4 reports on this story. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
