For other people named Don Nelson, see Don Nelson (disambiguation).
Don Nelson
Nelson in April 2012
Personal information
Born
(1940-05-15) May 15, 1940 (age 83) Muskegon, Michigan, U.S.
Listed height
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Listed weight
210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school
Rock Island (Rock Island, Illinois)
College
Iowa (1959–1962)
NBA draft
1962: 3rd round, 17th overall pick
Selected by the Chicago Zephyrs
Playing career
1962–1976
Position
Small forward
Number
44, 20, 19
Coaching career
1976–2010
Career history
As player:
1962–1963
Chicago Zephyrs
1963–1965
Los Angeles Lakers
1965–1976
Boston Celtics
As coach:
1976
Milwaukee Bucks (assistant)
1976–1988
Milwaukee Bucks
1988–1995
Golden State Warriors
1995–1996
New York Knicks
1997–2005
Dallas Mavericks
2006–2010
Golden State Warriors
Career highlights and awards
As player:
5× NBA champion (1966, 1968, 1969, 1974, 1976)
No. 19 retired by Boston Celtics
Third-team All-American – AP, NABC, UPI (1962)
As coach:
3× NBA Coach of the Year (1983, 1985, 1992)
2× NBA All-Star Game head coach (1992, 2002)
Top 10 Coaches in NBA History
Top 15 Coaches in NBA History
Career playing statistics
Points
10,898 (10.3 ppg)
Rebounds
5,192 (4.9 rpg)
Assists
1,526 (1.4 apg)
Stats at NBA.com
Stats at Basketball-Reference.com
Career coaching record
NBA
1335–1063 (.557)
Basketball Hall of Fame as coach
Medals
Head Coach for United States
Representing United States
FIBA World Championship
1994 Toronto
Team competition
Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player[1] and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 years before he was surpassed by Gregg Popovich in 2022). He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, the New York Knicks, the Dallas Mavericks, and the Golden State Warriors. After an All-American career at the University of Iowa, Nelson won five NBA championships playing with the Boston Celtics, with his number 19 retired by the franchise in 1978.
His unique brand of basketball is often referred to as "Nellie Ball". A coaching innovator, Nelson is credited with, among other things, pioneering the concept of the point forward, a tactic which is frequently employed by teams at every level today. He was named one of the Top 10 coaches in NBA history.
On April 7, 2010, Nelson passed Lenny Wilkens for first place on the all-time NBA wins list with his 1,333rd career win.[2] His all-time record coaching record was 1,335–1,063 (.557). He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.[3]
^"Don Nelson Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
^"Nelson sets NBA career victories mark in Warriors' defeat of Wolves'". Associated Press. April 7, 2010.
^"The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame :: Don Nelson". www.hoophall.com. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
Fame basketball coach DonNelson. In a 2007 Sports Illustrated article ranking the NBA's personnel bosses from 1 to 30, Nelson was ranked 2nd. In a 2009...
Nelson was born to a Jewish family in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the son of Ruth Nelson (née Kaiser), a noted Tulsa social activist and philanthropist, and Don...
Budenholzer (the only other Bucks' coach other than DonNelson to have won coach of the year). DonNelson is the franchise's all-time leader for the most...
catalyzed increased interest in the NBA in the Bay Area; so did new coach DonNelson, who engineered a string of wins in the late 1980s and early 1990s with...
leader for the highest winning percentage in the regular season (.735). DonNelson is named one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history. Johnson led the Mavericks...
all-time leader for the most regular season games coached (738); DonNelson, Donnie Nelson's father, is the franchise's all-time leader for the most regular...
Harriet raise their boys. Nelson was producer and director of most of the episodes, and he co-wrote many of them. Nelson's brother, Don, was also one of the...
current Oklahoma City Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault. Gregg Popovich, DonNelson and Pat Riley have each won the award three times, while Hubie Brown,...
Jackson (1989–1990), John MacLeod (1990–1991), Pat Riley (1991–1995), and DonNelson (1995–1996). During his tenure as an assistant coach, the Knicks won three...
1976, the Bucks would enter into another era of greatness. It began with DonNelson who became head coach in November 1976 after Larry Costello abruptly resigned...
State Warriors in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Coached by DonNelson, who was also inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Warriors played a fast-paced...
DonNelson Laramore (December 22, 1906 – August 9, 1989) was a judge of the United States Court of Claims and later a United States Circuit Judge of the...
Basketball Hall of Fame in 1986 as a coach. Besides Holzman, Rick Pitino, DonNelson, Pat Riley, Lenny Wilkens, and Larry Brown have been inducted into the...
Hannum, DonNelson, and Bill Sharman are the only other members of the franchise that have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Hannum, Nelson, and Kerr...
Archived from the original on May 8, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2011. "DonNelson NBA Statistics". basketball-reference.com. Archived from the original...
1, 2015, Carlisle recorded his 340th win as Mavericks coach, passing DonNelson as the winningest coach in franchise history. Four days later, he signed...
Lakers superstar Jerry West. X-factors on both teams respectively were DonNelson, the sixth man of the Celtics, and sharpshooting Laker Johnny Egan, the...
comedy film directed by Vincent McEveety and written by Arthur Alsberg and DonNelson. The film is the third installment in the Herbie film series and the sequel...
Kerrey, announced his retirement. His opponent was Attorney General Don Stenberg. Nelson won the election with 50.99% of the vote after a campaign in which...
be. Hall of Fame inductee and former NBA coach DonNelson Former coaches Rick Carlisle and DonNelson have constantly referred to Jackson's high character...
seasons. Gregg Popovich has won the most regular season games with 1,388. DonNelson, Bill Fitch, Jerry Sloan and Larry Brown are the only other coaches who...
Cowens to the Milwaukee Bucks, who were coached by former Celtic teammate DonNelson. The Celtics received Quinn Buckner from Milwaukee as compensation. Cowens...
brief stint in 1992, serving as an assistant under future Hall of Famer DonNelson and bringing with him Avery Johnson, who had been cut by the Spurs. In...
Global Information
