Don Nelson’s connection to the Golden State Warriors runs deep, and the franchise is preparing to bring that history back into the spotlight. The timing makes it even more interesting, with Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers set to arrive at Chase Center for a preseason matchup. Now, the Dub Nation has revealed plans that will make the October 6 meeting about much more than basketball.

“The Golden State Warriors will honor Hall of Fame head coach Don Nelson with “Nellie Night” when the team hosts the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on October 6 in the Warriors’ first home preseason game of the 2026-27 season,” the Warriors released a statement.

“The evening will celebrate Nelson’s legacy with former Warriors players and members of Nelson’s family in attendance, special in-game tributes and in-arena offerings, including fans in attendance will receive a commemorative “Nellie” pin upon entry.”

Nelson’s connection to Doncic adds another layer to the celebration. The Hall of Fame coach spent time with the Dallas Mavericks, while his son later became a key figure in the franchise’s front office. It was Donnie Nelson’s influence that brought the Slovenian star to the Mavs.

On draft night in 2018, Donnie, then serving as Dallas’s general manager, engineered a trade with the Atlanta Hawks, surrendering the fifth overall pick, which became Trae Young, to secure the third selection and land Doncic in Dallas. Their bond only deepened after both departed the franchise.

Doncic and Donnie later partnered on a European basketball ownership venture, a relationship rooted in the trust Don Nelson’s son extended the night he made the call that changed the Mavericks’ entire trajectory.

Doncic also paid tribute to Nelson following his death on August 9 at age 86. “It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson,” he wrote on X. “I have so much respect for him and everything he did for the game, especially the way he believed in international players. I’m grateful for the time I spent with him.

That belief in international players was one part of Nelson’s broader influence on the NBA. He coached the Milwaukee Bucks, Warriors and Mavericks during a career that produced 1,335 regular-season victories. His unconventional approach helped challenge traditional ideas about lineups and positions, while his Warriors teams became a major part of franchise history.

That approach had a name: Nellie Ball. Built on pace, spacing, and positionless lineups decades before the rest of the league caught up, it was a philosophy that effectively rewrote the sport. Warriors head coach Steve Kerr acknowledged as much in the wake of Nelson’s passing, noting that so much of what the modern game now accepts as standard traces directly back to the way Nellie thought and coached.

The line from Nelson’s ideas to Golden State’s dynasty runs through Stephen Curry, who credited Nelson as one of the primary reasons he was drafted by the Warriors in 2009, despite the coach’s well-known reluctance to trust rookies. Nelson saw something in Curry that others overlooked. The four championships that followed vindicated him completely.

Golden State will lean into that history throughout “Nellie Night.” Along with the former players and Nelson family members attending, the team has planned special in-game tributes and additional arena offerings.

Fans will also have the chance to take home limited-edition memorabilia. “Nellie Night” beer koozies featuring logos from Warriors teams coached by Nelson will be sold at select locations in limited quantities. The food inside Chase Center will also carry a Nelson-themed touch. Select eateries will offer the “Nellie Ball Three-Pointer” for $13.35, a direct nod to his 1,335 career coaching victories.

The Warriors will also honor Nelson throughout the season. As previously announced, players will wear a “Nellie” memorial band on their uniforms during “Nellie Night” and throughout the 2026-27 campaign. He coached Golden State for 11 seasons and left behind several defining moments.

He guided the famous “Run TMC” teams and later coached the 2007 Warriors, who shocked the top-seeded Mavericks in the playoffs. That series deserves more than a passing mention. Dallas entered with the best record in the league, having won 67 games that regular season, fueled by Nowitzki’s MVP campaign.

Nelson’s Warriors were an eighth seed who had not won a playoff series since 1991. They beat Dallas in six games, becoming the first eighth-seeded team in NBA history to eliminate a top seed in a best-of-seven series. What rarely gets said is who built the Dallas roster Nelson’s team picked apart: Donnie Nelson, his own son.

Now, Doncic, the player Donnie would later bring to that same franchise, walks into Chase Center as a Laker for a night centered on the man whose family shaped so much of his basketball journey. Now, Doncic will return to the Bay Area with the Lakers as Golden State celebrates the HOF coach.

Luka Doncic’s former team will honor Don Nelson

“Mavs fans, circle Nov. 18. The franchise tentatively plans to honor former coach and GM Don Nelson, who died on Aug. 9,” Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News reported. “It would be appropriate if Nelson honored that night because Dallas is hosting another of his former teams, Golden State, which this season will wear a “NELLIE” patch on jerseys.”

Don Nelson’s connection to Dallas goes far beyond his time on the sideline. The Mavericks hired him as both head coach and general manager in 1997. During his first full offseason, Nelson made a pair of draft-day trades with Milwaukee and Phoenix in 1998 that helped bring Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash to Dallas.

Along with Michael Finley, that trio became the foundation of a Mavericks team that changed the direction of the franchise. Don Nelson coached Dallas for eight seasons and finished with a 339-251 record. His tenure helped establish the Mavericks as a serious NBA contender while giving the organization two future Hall of Fame players.

That impact was still fresh in the Mavericks’ minds when Nelson died on Aug. 9 at age 86. Patrick Dumont, the Mavericks’ governor, released a statement honoring the coach and executive for his role in rebuilding the franchise.

“His influence can be seen throughout Mavericks history and across the NBA today,” Dumont said.

Now, Dallas will have an opportunity to celebrate that legacy in front of its home crowd. The timing adds another layer because the Warriors will be the visitors that night.