NBA commissioner Adam Silver remembered Don Nelson as a basketball innovator whose influence will be felt for generations after the Hall of Fame player and coach died Sunday at 86.
“Don Nelson revolutionized NBA basketball through his fearlessness, ingenuity and deep conviction,” 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.”
Nelson’s family announced his death Sunday, saying he died peacefully while surrounded by family.
One of the most distinctive figures in NBA history, Nelson spent 14 seasons as a player before becoming one of the league’s most successful coaches.
He joined the Celtics in 1965 and won five championships during his 11 seasons in Boston. The Celtics later retired his No. 19.
Nelson moved immediately into coaching after retiring as a player in 1976, eventually serving as head coach of the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavericks.
He was named NBA Coach of the Year three times and finished his coaching career in 2010 with 1,335 regular-season victories, then the most in league history.
Nelson was also known as one of basketball’s great innovators, embracing smaller lineups and unconventional approaches long before they became common around the NBA.
He was named one of the league’s 10 greatest coaches as part of the NBA’s 50th anniversary celebration in 1996 and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
Nelson received the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.
“He brought an unmistakable personality to everything he did,” Silver said. “And his impact on our sport will continue to be felt for generations.”
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