Don Nelson

Don Nelson

Nelson in April 2012
Personal information
Born	(1940-05-15) May 15, 1940 (age 84) 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
Career coaching record
NBA	1335–1063 (.557)
Record at Basketball Reference
Basketball Hall of Fame
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 is 1,335–1,063 (.557). He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.^[3]