Mavericks guard Nick Van Exel gets directions from Dallas coach Don Nelson, center, and assistant coach Donnie Nelson during their game against the Memphis Grizzlies at American Airlines Center.
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The basketball world lost a legend of the game on August 9, 2026 when Don Nelson died at the age of 86.
Nelson is an icon in NBA history, as he authored an illustrious basketball career both as a player and a coach. It was a career that impacted so many, including several NBA legends that attribute their success to Nelson.
Here are five things to know about Nelson and his NBA career, including his impactful stint with the Dallas Mavericks.
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1. Mavericks tenure
Nelson served as the head coach and general manager of the Mavericks from 1997-2005.
In eight seasons leading the Mavs, Nelson compiled a 339-251 record. His 339 wins are the second-most among head coaches in franchise history, trailing only Rick Carlisle (555 wins). He was hired as the team’s general manager in Feb. 1997 and ten months into his tenure, he fired coach Jim Cleamons and took over the coaching duties himself.
The Mavericks enjoyed enormous success with Nelson leading the way after being a laughing stock of the NBA throughout most of the 1990s, as Dallas logged 50-plus wins from the 2000-01 season to the 2004-05 season under Nelson, including a 60-win campaign in 2002-03.
While his coaching success is a large part of his Mavs legacy, likely the biggest part of his legacy is that he …
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2. Brought Dirk to Dallas
In one night, Nelson brought two future Hall of Famers to Dallas.
On June 24, 1998, the Mavericks acquired Dirk Nowitzki as the ninth pick in the NBA draft. Dallas selected Robert Traylor with the No. 6 pick and traded him to Milwaukee for the No. 9 pick, which was Nowitzki.
Former Dallas Mavericks head coach Don Nelson, center, presents first-round draft choice Dirk Nowitzki, left, and newly acquired guard Steve Nash with jerseys at a news conference on June 29, 1998 in Dallas.
Huy Nguyen/File photo/The Dallas Morning News
“Nellie … You didn’t just draft me,” Nowitzki tweeted the day Nelson died. “You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them.
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“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.”
However, the acquisition of Nowitzki was a three-team trade that also involved the Phoenix Suns. In the deal, the Mavericks also landed Steve Nash. From that point, Nowitzki, Nash and Michael Finley were the foundation for the Mavs under Nelson.
3. Part of a dynasty
Nelson was a part of the storied Celtics dynasty of the 1960s and 1970s under the legendary Red Auerbach. He served as the sixth man for those Celtics teams headlined by Bill Russell, Sam Jones and other NBA icons.
He was a five-time NBA champion with Boston, winning the title in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 1976. Nelson’s No. 19 is retired by the Boston Celtics.
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In his 11 years with Boston, he averaged 11.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists.
4. Mavs run in the family
When Nelson took over as the Mavericks’ head coach, one of his first moves was to bring in his son Donnie Nelson as one of his assistants.
Donnie wound up spending 24 years with the Mavericks.
When Don stepped down in March 2005, naming Avery Johnson as his successor, he named Donnie his replacement as the Mavs’ general manager. Donnie became the Mavs’ president of basketball operations in July 2002, took over as GM when his father stepped away and led Dallas’ front office until June 2021, when the two sides parted ways.
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5. NBA coaching icon
Nelson’s NBA impact goes far beyond his time with the Mavericks.
He also served as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and New York Knicks. He was named NBA Coach of the Year three times, in 1983, 1985 (with Milwaukee) and 1992 (with Golden State).
His 2,398 games coached are second-most in NBA history, behind Lenny Wilkens’ 2,487 and his 1,335 career wins are the second-most in league history, behind Gregg Popovich’s 1,390 victories. Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and during the NBA’s 75th anniversary season of 2021-22, he was named one of the 15 greatest coaches in NBA history.
6. A notable protégé
As mentioned above, Nelson has the second-most wins in NBA coaching history. The man with the most wins is a protégé of Nelson.
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Nelson hired Popovich as an assistant on the Warriors’ coaching staff in 1992. Popovich served under Nelson from 1992-94 before returning to San Antonio, where he became the Spurs’ general manager. In 1996, Popovich fired Bob Hill and took over the head coaching duties. You could say hiring himself as head coach worked out for Coach Pop.
7. Love and Basketball
The Dallas Morning News’ Brad Townsend wrote a touching feature story on Nelson and his family that ran in the March 2, 2003 edition of the paper. It tells the Nelson family’s story, from Don’s childhood poverty to his prolific NBA career and how his basketball career created strains in the family.
But most of all, it’s a story of how basketball helped tear Don and his family apart but also played a role in reuniting them, especially Don and his son Donnie.
Read Townsend’s feature story on the Nelson family here.
8. Spoke his mind about the Luka trade
When Nelson was being presented with the Chuck Daly Lifetime Achievement Award in June 2025, a few months after the Mavs’ disastrous Luka Doncic trade, Nelson took a moment to announce his support of Doncic.
“As a matter of fact, I want everybody to know I’m wearing Luka’s shoes, his new shoes from Nike that just got on the market,” Nelson said. “I’m wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. Tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him and I want everybody to know that.”
Don Nelson at the 2025 NBA Finals:
“I’m wearing Luka’s new shoes from Nike and I’m wearing them in protest for the trade from Dallas. I think it was a tremendous mistake by the Dallas franchise to trade him”
Legend!pic.twitter.com/T1H29Fnc3f
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) August 9, 2026
9. Invented Hack-a-Shaq
One of Nelson’s many lasting impacts on the sport of basketball is his implementation of a popular strategy still used today. Ever heard of “Hack-a-Shaq”?
The strategy involves a coach instructing his team to intentionally foul notoriously poor free throw shooters, as Nelson theorized that a team’s points per possession are lowered if a poor free throw shooter is sent to the line rather than playing normal defense.
Despite the popular name, Nelson didn’t debut the strategy against Shaquille O’Neal. He first used it against Chicago’s Dennis Rodman in 1997, a 38% free throw shooter at the time. A few seasons later, he used the strategy against O’Neal in the 1999-2000 season and it became popularized when Nelson used it on O’Neal rather than his first usage against Rodman.
O’Neal’s frustrations with the strategy boiled over when he called Nelson a “Clown Coach,” but softened when Nelson wore a clown nose to the Mavericks’ next game against the Lakers.
10. Dirk wasn’t his only iconic draft moment
Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry’s legendary run in the Bay Area started when Nelson was in his final few years as a coach.
The Warriors selected Curry with the No. 7 pick in the 2009 NBA draft and Nelson was a large reason why.
“The story is he never liked rookies, but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court,” Curry said in the statement the day Nelson died, “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. We were so happy for him.
“He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game. He’s a true icon and will be missed by the countless number of people he touched, including myself, during a legendary career.”
“I was marveling at his skill from shooting and passing and ball handling,” Nelson said in an interview with ESPN in 2021. “I just thought he was a star. I never dreamed we were going to be able to get him.”