Thursday, 21 November 2024

Don Nelson

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Coaches 2024
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Baketball
Statistics: 3 Coach of the Year Awards (1983, 1985 & 1992)
1 World Basketball Championship (1994)
1,353-1,063 NBA Record
Member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame

*5 NBA Championships (1966, 1968, 1969, 1974 & 1976)
*Number Retired by the Boston Celtics

*As a player
Don Nelson won five NBA championships as a player with the Boston Celtics, and after his playing days were done, he instantly went into coaching, first with the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976. Nelson started as an assistant but was promoted early to their head coach and with an innovative style (dubbed by the press as “Nellie Ball” transformed the game of basketball.

Nelson's creation saw a faster tempo that showcased smaller and more athletic players while also featuring a "point forward," where the small forward would direct the offense. It was not always effective on the defensive side of the ball, but the offense gave opposition headaches, and if Nelson was the coach, you knew you would be entertained.

The Bucks won seven consecutive division titles (1980-86) and went to three Eastern Conference finals. Clashes with ownership saw Nelson resign in 1988, and he ventured west to run the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors were less victorious than the Bucks, but under Nelson, the famed "Run TMC" (Tim Hardaway, Chris Mullin, and Mitch Richmond) displayed their skills.

Nelson gave New York a try for two years but had more success with the Dallas Mavericks, who he coached from 1997 to 2005. He took Dallas to the Western Conference finals in 2003, but his teams regressed afterward. He resigned during the 2004-05 season, but he would have one more kick at the coaching can, with a second stint as Golden State's head coach, but the Dubs were not a talented crew, and he was let go in 2010.

Nelson may not have won an NBA title as a coach, but his style was implemented by the Golden State Warriors, who won multiple championships in the last half of the 2010s.

We are proud to nominate Don Nelson for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.

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