Don Nelson dies at 86: Tributes pour in for one of NBA's all-time winningest coaches

Don Nelson dies at 86: Tributes pour in for one of NBA’s all-time winningest coaches originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The NBA world is mourning longtime head coach Don Nelson, who died Sunday at the age of 86, his family announced.

Nelson spent 31 seasons as an NBA head coach, including 11 seasons with the Bucks, another 11 with the Warriors across two different stints and eight years with the Mavericks. Nelson also had a brief one-year stop with the Knicks in the 1990s.

While he never reached the NBA Finals as a head coach, Nelson engineered 13 different 50-win seasons and won five championships as a player with the Celtics in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Here’s more to know about Nelson and his passing on Sunday.

Don Nelson dies at 86

Nelson died Sunday morning at the age of 86, his family announced. 

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” the statement read. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

Hall of Famer Don Nelson, three-time NBA Coach of the Year and five times a champion as a player with the Boston Celtics, has died at age 86.

The family has issued this statement:

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson… pic.twitter.com/MkDMNugYcu

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 9, 2026

The family did not release a cause of death, but The Dallas Morning News reported Nelson suffered a stroke three weeks earlier and had been placed in hospice care. Nelson moved from Hawaii to Frisco, Texas earlier in 2026.

Nelson’s coaching career ended in 2010, after a second stint with the Warriors that included a historic first-round upset of the top-seeded Mavericks. Nelson previously coached the Mavericks to a 60-win season in 2002-03, and he oversaw some of the most successful stretches in Bucks and Warriors history before those franchises’ recent successes.

Here’s a look at where Nelson ranks among the all-time wins leaders in NBA history.

NBA winningest coaches of all time

Nelson ranks second all-time in coaching wins. He retired with the record, which was later surpassed by legendary Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.

RankCoachWins1Gregg Popovich1,3902Don Nelson1,3353Lenny Wilkens1,3324Jerry Sloan1,2215Pat Riley1,2106Doc Rivers1,1947George Karl1,1758Phil Jackson1,1559Larry Brown1,09810Rick Adelman1,042

Three of the 10 winningest coaches in NBA history have died in the last year, as Lenny Wilkens passed away in November while Rick Adelman died in June. Popovich, Pat Riley and the recently retired Doc Rivers rank as the winningest living coaches.

Don Nelson tributes

The Warriors called Nelson “one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history.”

The Golden State Warriors mourn the passing of Hall of Fame head coach Don Nelson.

“Nellie” was one of the most innovative and influential coaches in NBA history and an iconic figure in Warriors history. He was a true basketball visionary who saw the game differently and was… pic.twitter.com/1k5piSC6xX

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) August 9, 2026

In a statement, Warriors coach Steve Kerr called Nelson a “true innovator.”

Statements from Steph Curry, Steve Kerr, and Run TMC on the death of legendary coach Don Nelson.

Nellie was one of the most influential figures in Warriors and NBA history. pic.twitter.com/7kUrnBXO36

— Danny Emerman (@DannyEmerman) August 9, 2026

Stephen Curry, coached by Nelson as a rookie, also paid tribute with a statement on Sunday:

Stephen Curry’s statement on the passing of Don Nelson:

“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson. 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. He taught me… pic.twitter.com/akIkC9Qnlr

— TheWarriorsTalk (@TheWarriorsTalk) August 9, 2026