Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer Don Nelson has died at the age of 86, his family announced Sunday. Nelson built one of the most decorated and unconventional careers in NBA history, first as a champion player with the Boston Celtics and later as the league’s winningest coach for more than a decade.

“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 Nelson family said in a statement issued via Marc Stein. “Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories.”

Nelson, born May 15, 1940, in Muskegon, Michigan, was a reliable reserve for the Celtics for 11 seasons. He won five championships between 1966 and 1976 and earned a reputation as one of the better sixth men of his era. His No. 19 jersey was retired to the Boston Garden rafters in 1978, two years after he played his final NBA game.

He transitioned almost immediately into coaching and front-office work. He took over as head coach and general manager of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976. It was there that he built his reputation as an innovator, popularizing the “point forward” concept by running offense through forwards like Marques Johnson and Paul Pressey rather than a traditional point guard.

Don Nelson won his first two of three career Coach of the Year awards with the Bucks, in 1983 and 1985.

Nelson later coached the Golden State Warriors across two separate stints, the New York Knicks, and the Dallas Mavericks, developing stars including Chris Mullin, Tim Hardaway, Mitch Richmond, Steve Nash, and Dirk Nowitzki along the way. His up-tempo, small-ball offensive systems, nicknamed “Nellie Ball,” influenced how the league approached spacing and pace for decades afterward, even as his teams were frequently criticized for their lack of defensive commitment. He retired from coaching in 2010 holding the record for most regular-season wins in NBA history, a mark broken by Gregg Popovich in March 2022.

A Career-Defining Upset for Don Nelson

Nelson’s most iconic coaching moment came in 2007, when his eighth-seeded Warriors, led by Baron Davis, upset Nowitzki’s 67-win Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs. It is still regarded as one of the greatest upsets in NBA postseason history.

Despite the résumé, Nelson never won a championship or reached the NBA Finals as a head coach. A gap frequently noted alongside his win total throughout his career. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012 and also coached the 1994 Dream Team II to a gold medal.

The Nelson family announced a Celebration of Life honoring him. It will be held on Thursday, Aug. 13, at Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas. A separate ashes ceremony in Maui for friends and family will be scheduled and confirmed at a future date, according to Stein.