Nelson, Don (1940-…), was one of the greatest coaches in the history of the National Basketball Association (NBA). As an NBA coach, Nelson won 1,335 games, a league record. He was named NBA Coach of the Year in 1983, 1985, and 1992. He coached the United States team to the world championship in 1994. Nelson was also an outstanding college and professional player.
As a player, Nelson starred for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. He played on six NBA championship teams with the Celtics from 1965 until he retired after the 1975-1976 season.
Donald Arvid Nelson was born on May 15, 1940, in Muskegon, Michigan, and grew up in Rock Island, Illinois. He was a star player at the University of Iowa from 1959 to 1962. During his career as a player in the NBA, Nelson played for the Chicago Zephyrs (now the Washington Wizards) in 1962 and 1963 and for the Los Angeles Lakers from 1963 until he joined the Celtics in 1965.
During the 1976-1977 season, Nelson became first an assistant coach with the Milwaukee Bucks and then the team’s head coach through the 1986-1987 season, when he left Milwaukee. Nelson also served as general manager of the Bucks between 1985 and 1987 and general manager of the Golden State Warriors in 1987 and 1988. A general manager’s duties include signing and trading players and managing the team’s budget. From 1988 to 1995, Nelson was both head coach and general manager of the Warriors. He coached the New York Knicks in the 1995-1996 season and the Dallas Mavericks from 1997 to 2005, also serving as general manager. He then returned to Golden State. He coached the Warriors from 2006 until he resigned in 2010. Nelson was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.
